You’re at the end of a heavy meal of orange chicken and lo mein. The check arrives, and right there on the plastic tray are those little cellophane-wrapped crescents. You crack one open, ignore the cookie for a second to read a vague prophecy about "new opportunities," and then munch on the vanilla-scented wafer. If you asked most people where are fortune cookies from, they’d gesture vaguely toward China.
They’d be wrong.
In fact, if you go to Beijing or Shanghai and ask for a fortune cookie, you’ll likely get a blank stare. They aren't Chinese. They never were. The story of the fortune cookie is actually a messy, fascinating, and deeply American tale of immigration, adaptation, and a bit of a legal scuffle between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The Japanese Connection Most People Miss
The real answer to the question of where are fortune cookies from begins in Japan. Specifically, outside the city of Kyoto.
Researchers like Yasuko Nakamachi have spent years tracking down the true lineage of these treats. Nakamachi spent nearly two decades digging through archives and visiting family-owned bakeries in Japan. She found something called tsuura kura senbei (fortune crackers). These were larger, darker, and made with sesame and miso instead of the buttery vanilla flavor we know today.
There’s even a woodblock print from 1878—long before the cookie debuted in the U.S.—showing a Japanese apprentice making these crackers over a grill.
The mechanism was the same. A little slip of paper tucked into the fold. But in Japan, the paper wasn't tucked inside the hollow center; it was pinched in the fold on the outside. This prevented people from accidentally eating their future. Honestly, that sounds like a smarter design.
When Japanese immigrants moved to the West Coast of the United States in the early 1900s, they brought their baking traditions with them. They set up shops in California and began producing a localized version of the senbei. Because Americans at the time were more accustomed to the flavors of sugar and vanilla than savory miso, the recipe shifted.
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The Great San Francisco vs. Los Angeles Feud
While the Japanese origin is the factual "root," the "where" of the modern American version is a point of massive pride and contention between two California cities.
In San Francisco, the credit usually goes to Makoto Hagiwara. He was the landscape designer of the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park. Legend has it he served the cookies in the early 1900s as a thank-you note to friends who stood by him after he was fired by a biased mayor (he was later reinstated).
But wait. Los Angeles has a different story.
David Jung, a Chinese immigrant and founder of the Hong Kong Noodle Company, claimed he invented them in 1918. His story was more philanthropic. He supposedly saw poor people wandering near his shop and passed out cookies with inspirational Bible verses tucked inside to encourage them.
It got so heated that in 1983, San Francisco’s "Court of Historical Review" held a mock trial to settle the dispute. A federal judge—who clearly had some time on his hands—ruled in favor of San Francisco. Los Angeles, naturally, ignored the ruling entirely.
How the Cookie Became "Chinese"
If the cookie is Japanese-American, why do we get them at Chinese restaurants?
The shift happened during World War II. It’s a somber piece of history that most people don't think about when they're looking for their lucky numbers. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor and the subsequent signing of Executive Order 9066, Japanese-Americans on the West Coast were forcibly sent to internment camps.
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This included the bakers who made the fortune cookies.
When the Japanese-owned bakeries closed, a vacuum opened in the market. Chinese entrepreneurs stepped in. At the same time, Chinese food was exploding in popularity among American soldiers returning from the Pacific theater. These soldiers expected a dessert, and the fortune cookie—now being produced by Chinese-owned businesses—became the standard "finisher" for a Chinese meal.
By the time Japanese-Americans were released from the camps and returned to their lives, the fortune cookie had been firmly rebranded. It was now a staple of the "Chinese-American" dining experience.
The Manufacturing Boom: From Hand-Folded to Global
For decades, these cookies were folded by hand using chopsticks while they were still hot and pliable. It was grueling work. If the cookie cooled too much, it snapped.
That changed in the 1960s. Edward Louie, the owner of the Lotus Fortune Cookie Factory in San Francisco, invented a machine that could automate the folding process. This changed everything. Suddenly, you could produce thousands of cookies an hour.
Today, the industry is dominated by Wonton Food Inc. in Brooklyn. They produce over 4.5 million cookies a day. Think about that for a second. Every single day, millions of little slips of paper are printed with "Advice from a Wise Person" or "You will travel to a distant land."
The "fortunes" themselves have also evolved. In the early days, they were often snippets of Confucius or biblical proverbs. Now? They’re often written by freelance writers or specialized staff who have to churn out thousands of unique phrases that are optimistic enough to please everyone but vague enough to be "true."
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Interestingly, Wonton Food Inc. once had to deal with a minor crisis when 110 people all won the Powerball second prize in 2005. Every single one of them had used the "Lucky Numbers" printed on the back of their fortune cookie slips. Federal investigators actually looked into it, suspecting fraud, only to realize it was just a very, very weird coincidence involving a specific batch of cookies.
Why Do We Still Care?
The fortune cookie is a psychological masterpiece.
Even if we know it’s not "authentic" Chinese culture, and even if we know the fortune is generated by a computer in Long Island City, we still open them. There’s a tiny hit of dopamine involved in the "reveal." It’s a low-stakes gamble.
It’s also a perfect example of how food travels. A Japanese cracker, adapted for an American palate, sold in a Chinese restaurant, and eventually exported back to the rest of the world as a symbol of "East meets West."
Actionable Takeaways for the Curious
If you're actually interested in the "real" thing or just want to impress people at your next dinner, here’s what you should do:
- Visit the Source: If you’re ever in San Francisco, go to the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory in Ross Alley. It’s tiny. You can smell the vanilla from a block away. You can see the old-school machines and even buy "giant" fortune cookies.
- Look for the Japanese Version: Search for Tsuura Kura Senbei. Some specialty Japanese bakeries still make the original savory version. It’s a completely different experience—no vanilla, lots of umami.
- Check the Back: Next time you get a cookie, look at the "Lucky Numbers." They are technically generated by a randomizer, but hey, those 110 people in 2005 walked away with nearly $20 million between them. Maybe don't bet your house on it, though.
- Acknowledge the History: When someone asks where are fortune cookies from, tell them about the Japanese bakers in California. It’s a way to honor a piece of history that was almost erased by the internment camps of the 1940s.
The fortune cookie isn't a relic of ancient China. It's a 20th-century American invention, born of necessity and cultural blending. It's a little bit of Japan, a lot of California, and a global business powerhouse.
Next time you crack one open, remember: the cookie itself is a much bigger story than the slip of paper inside.