5 Things You Didn't Know about Fortune Cookie

facebook share image    twitter share image    pinterest share image    E-Mail share image

Fortune cookies have become famous all over the United States. More than their taste, they have become famous for the message included inside the fortune cookie. Today, we will help you understand what exactly the fortune cookie is and why it has become so famous.  

What is the fortune cookie?

They are crisp and sugar-based cookies. It is usually made from 4 different ingredients. The reason why it has become famous is because of the fortune mentioned inside. The fortune is written on a paper inside the cookie. This fortune written on a piece of paper has made these cookies famous in the United States and worldwide. fortune cookie  

How do fortunes get inside the cookie?

Now that you know about the fortune written on a piece of paper, the question which arises is, how does the fortune get inside the cookie? We will explain that below. The baking process of the cookie is pretty simple. They are baked in flat circles. Once they are removed from the oven, the piece of paper is folded and put inside the cookie when it is still soft. As they cool down, they harden into their distinctive shape, which is similar to see. Thus, the paper gets inside the cookie after the initial baking process.  

Can fortune cookies predict the future?

Whether the fortune found in the cookie comes true for you or not depends on your luck. The fortune messages written on a piece of paper are from a predetermined database of 15,000 fortunes. This database has been created by a fortune cookie writer employed by the manufacturing company. However, there have been quite a few instances in which whatever was written on the piece of paper came true. fortune cookie

Origin of fortune cookies

It is widely assumed that fortune cookies originated in China. However, that is not entirely true. That is because most of the Chinese restaurants in America serve these cookies. Fortune cookies are native to Japan. They were sold in Japan in the late 19th century. After World War II, they spread out in the United States like wildfire due to the fortune written inside each cookie. Thus, fortune cookies belong to Japan. Before we share with you more interesting things about these cookie, it is time to know about the calories in every cookie.  

Fortune cookie calories

A single cookie has 30 cal in it. Considering many of the other high sugar alternatives, this is quite moderate. fortune cookie

5 things you didn't know about fortune cookies

There might be few things that you might not know about these cookies. We will now share with you such facts so that you understand why they have become so famous.  
  1. Wonton Food is the largest maker of fortune cookie
They are not a trademark of a single food manufacturer. There are quite a few companies making such cookies all over the world. However, the largest company making these cookies goes by the name of Wonton Food. Its headquarters are in San Francisco. Previously, the company sold cookies only in the United States. However, today, its fortune cookies are sold all over the world.  
  1. 110 people won the lottery in a single day due to fortune cookie
It was in the year 2005 when fortune cookies gained fame. During the Powerball lottery, 110 people spread across 29 different states won the 2nd prize. The Powerball executives thought that something was fishy. Such a large number of people choosing the same numbers for their Powerball tickets and winning the 2nd prize is highly unusual. When further inquiries were made, it was found that they got the lucky numbers from the fortunes printed inside the cookie by the company mentioned above. The cookies served to them in various restaurants help them bag prizes ranging from $ 100,000-$ 500,000. Ever since then, there has been a myth that the fortune cookie sayings printed and stored inside the cookies can predict your future and do come true.  
  1. Only 4 ingredients are used for fortune cookie recipe
Even though many food manufacturers make such cookies, but the basic fortune cookie recipe remains the same. There are essentially four ingredients used. These are:
  • Vanilla
  • Sugar
  • Flour
  • Oil
This is why the taste of all the cookies around the world is almost similar. fortune cookie
  1. Over 4M+ fortune cookies made each day
They have become so famous all over the world that over 4 million fortune cookies are sold every day. Every one of these cookies has a fortune printed inside. This is according to the Boston Globe company. Since there are numerous manufacturers making these cookies, the exact number is not known. However, according to an article in NYTimes, the number of cookies sold every year is 3 billion. The number can be even higher than that. The point being, the combination of free cookies that restaurants serve and the fortunes printed in store inside the cookies have made them extremely famous. Every time fortune comes true for someone, the popularity of the cookie increases even more. This is one of the main reasons why fortune cookies' sales are increasing exponentially every year.  
  1. Customization of fortune cookies is possible
The fact that many manufacturers these days make cookies has forced them to be innovative. The 1st innovation was that different flavors are available in fortune cookies these days. Whether you want to consume citrus cookies, chocolate cookies, or vanilla cookies, all of them are available. Kosher fortune cookies are available as well. It means that you can easily buy the fortune cookie strain which you want. Many companies have gone a step further as well. When you order from their official website, you will get to use a fortune cookie generator and customize the message stored in the cookie. It means that you can use such cookies for gifting and using the messages as formation. We bet you didn't know any of these 5 facts regarding fortune cookies. The next time around, you notice these cookies in any Chinese restaurants; now you know how they became famous and what they are. One thing which is for sure is whether the fortune inside the cookie comes true or not; they are undoubtedly tasty and worth having.
Are you curently on diet or you just want to control your food's nutritions, ingredients? We will help you find recipes by cooking method, nutrition, ingredients...
Check it out »