National Fortune Cookie Day 2023: Date, History, Facts, Activities

On National Fortune Cookie Day, which is observed on July 20, we envision you devouring a crunchy and delicious treat! Every year, Americans celebrate the ubiquitous Chinese takeout cookie. These flaky, folded pastries are flavoured with butter. When you unwrap them, you will find a message written on paper tucked inside. The expression will range from profound wisdom to difficult puzzles to common sense. Some prophecies contain quotations from renowned philosophers. About three billion fortune biscuits are produced and consumed annually by ecstatic fans. National Fortune Cookie Day is upon us, and it is time for everyone to celebrate!

The background of National Fortune Cookie Day

Numerous Americans who dine at Chinese-themed restaurants in the United States receive a fortune cookie after their meal, leading them to associate this custom with Chinese culture. However, the origins of this delectable delicacy can be traced back to Kyoto, Japan in the nineteenth century, before making its way to American culture in the twentieth.

In the 1870s, some Japanese confectioneries began producing small crackers folded into shapes that enabled a message to be tucked inside the bend, not the hollow area. These crackers would have been darker in colour and made with miso and sesame seeds, giving them a flavour that was less sweet than fortune biscuits today.

When Japanese immigrants arrived in California and Hawaii in the late 1800s and early 1900s, it was believed that fortune cakes served in American-Chinese restaurants today originated from this idea.

Today, the United States is the largest consumer of fortune cookies. The main producers are “Wonton Food” in New York and “Yang’s Fortunes” in California, with “Wonton Food” alone producing over four million per day. The fortune cookie is prepared in the form of a round disc. While still warm from the oven, a fortune is written on one side of the biscuit, which is then folded and compressed. The fortunes are small slips of paper containing advice or aphorisms. They are frequently imprinted with Chinese characters or lucky numerals. “Wanton Food” publishes more than 15,000 unique fortunes. Simple ingredients such as flour, sesame seed oil, butter, vanilla, and sugar are used to make fortune cookies, which have an insipid, mild flavour. However, the promise of a fortune has endeared these cookies to millions, who continue to tear them open throughout the year.

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Activities on National Fortune Cookie Day

Attempt to make your fortune Cookie

Making fortune biscuits at home can be fun not only for those who enjoy baking, but also for those who enjoy calligraphy and creating personalised messages for friends! Today, try your hand at baking cookies!

Go to Chinese restaurant

The most obvious method to observe the occasion is to indulge in a delicious Chinese lunch, followed by a plate of fortune cookies. Obviously, dining at American-Chinese restaurants is not a Chinese tradition, but it is nonetheless a tradition.

Fortune Cookie celebration with pals

As a fun party favour for colleagues or friends, why not purchase fortune cookies? Or, for a refreshing change of pace, make a new neighbour a friend by delivering a basket of fortune cookies to their door.

5 Interesting Fortune Cookie Facts

According to historical records, the fortune cookie originated in Japan.

The first fortune cookie was made with sesame oil and was browner and larger than the cookies we consume today.

Given the cookie’s delectable flavour, it’s not surprising that the four essential ingredients are flour, sugar, vanilla extract, and oil.

Each of the nearly four million cookies that are produced daily possesses its own fortune.

Brooklyn-based Wonton Food is the largest producer of fortune cookies in the world, and each cookie contained 15,000 fortunes.

NATIONAL FORTUNE COOKIE DAY DATES