NATIONAL FORTUNE COOKIE DAY

Fast Facts

WHEN
Celebrated each year on July 20th
WHAT
Enjoy the crisp, folded cookies have a hint of buttery sweetness known as fortune cookies
STAT
Americans have been enjoying fortune cookies since the 1800s
VIBE
Crunchy, buttery sweetness

We see a time when you will enjoy a crunchy, sweet treat on National Fortune Cookie Day! Each year on July 20, Americans celebrate the cookie that is a traditional part of Chinese take-out.

#FortuneCookieDay

These crisp, folded cookies have a hint of buttery sweetness. Break them open, and you will find a slip of paper tucked inside with a message on it. The phrase will range from profound words of wisdom or tricky riddles to simple bits of common sense. Some fortunes include quotes from famous philosophers.

Did you know?

Unlike the modern sweet vanilla version, the original Japanese fortune cookies were larger, darker, and distinctly savory, flavored with miso and sesame seeds.

While these nuggets of enjoyment are most often found at the end of a Chinese meal, they didn't originate in China. The distinctively folded cookie began in Japan, where elegant desserts and folding techniques are quintessentially Japanese. However, in Japan, the fortune was tucked in the fold on the outside of the cookie. Sometime in the late 1800s, the fortune cookie migrated to the United States and made its transition. During World War II, it exploded in popularity, and Americans have never stopped enjoying them.

The leap from Japan to America happened in California in the early 1900s, but who exactly introduced it is a legendary debate. In 1983, San Francisco’s Court of Historical Review even held a mock trial to settle the true birthplace. The two main claimants:

The Great Fortune Cookie Debate

San Francisco (The Frontrunner)
Most historians credit Makoto Hagiwara, a Japanese immigrant who managed the famous Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park. Around 1900, he began serving a sweetened version of the cookie alongside green tea. He partnered with a local Japanese bakery, Benkyodo, to mass-produce them and adapt the flavor from savory miso to the sweet vanilla extract Americans preferred.

Los Angeles (The Challenger)
Conversely, David Jung, a Chinese immigrant and founder of the Hong Kong Noodle Company in LA, claimed he invented the cookie in 1918. His twist? He stuffed them with inspirational Bible verses and handed them out to unemployed men on the streets.

Order some Chinese takeout and indulge in some fortune cookie therapy. But that's not the only way to celebrate. Of course not!

  1. Try making your own fortune cookies.

  2. Make origami paper fortune cookies.

  3. We know you save your favorite fortunes. Please share them with us.

  4. While you're sharing, take a turn at writing a fortune. If you're making fortune cookies, you're going to need to practice this. Share your celebration with us. Use #FortuneCookieDay to post on social media.

We opened a fortune cookie to see if we could find the origin of this holiday. This was what it said: Ask the Magic 8 Ball.

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