Fortune cookie - wikipedia Fortune cookie For other uses, see Fortune cookie ( disambiguation ). Fortune cookie Unopened fortune cookies Type Cookie Main ingredients Flour, sugar, vanilla, and oil Cookbook : Fortune cookie Media : Fortune cookie A fortune cookie is a crisp and sugary cookie usually made from flour, sugar, vanilla, and sesame seed oil with a piece of paper inside, a `` fortune '', on which is an aphorism, or a vague prophecy. The message inside may also include a Chinese phrase with translation and / or a list of lucky numbers used by some as lottery numbers ; since relatively few distinct messages are printed, in the recorded case where winning numbers happened to be printed, the lottery had an unexpectedly high number of winners sharing a prize. Fortune cookies are often served as a dessert in Chinese restaurants in the United States and other Western countries, but are not a tradition in China. The exact origin of fortune cookies is unclear, though various immigrant groups in California claim to have popularized them in the early 20th century. They most likely originated from cookies made by Japanese immigrants to the United States in the late 19th or early 20th century. The Japanese version did not have the Chinese lucky numbers and was eaten with tea. Contents 1 Origin 1.1 Chinese legend 2 Manufacturers 3 Marketing 4 Nutrition 5 Around the world 6 Asian stereotype 7 Translations of name 8 In popular culture 9 See also 10 Notes 11 References 12 External links Origin An opened fortune cookie As far back as the 19th century, a cookie very similar in appearance to the modern fortune cookie was made in Kyoto, Japan ; and there is a Japanese temple tradition of random fortunes, called omikuji. The Japanese version of the cookie differs in several ways : they are a little bit larger ; are made of darker dough ; and their batter contains sesame and miso rather than vanilla and butter. They contain a fortune ; however, the small slip of paper was wedged into the bend of the cookie rather than placed inside the hollow portion. This kind of cookie is called tsujiura senbei ( 辻占 煎餅 ) and is still sold in some regions of Japan, especially in Kanazawa, Ishikawa. It is also sold in the neighborhood of Fushimi Inari - taisha shrine in Kyoto. Makoto Hagiwara of Golden Gate Park 's Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco is reported to have been the first person in the U.S. to have served the modern version of the cookie when he did so at the tea garden in the 1890s or early 1900s. The fortune cookies were made by a San Francisco bakery, Benkyodo. David Jung, founder of the Hong Kong Noodle Company in Los Angeles, has made a competing claim that he invented the cookie in 1918. San Francisco 's Court of Historical Review attempted to settle the dispute in 1983. During the proceedings, a fortune cookie was introduced as a key piece of evidence with a message reading, `` S.F. Judge who rules for L.A. Not Very Smart Cookie ''. A federal judge of the Court of Historical Review determined that the cookie originated with Hagiwara and the court ruled in favor of San Francisco. Subsequently, the city of Los Angeles condemned the decision. Seiichi Kito, the founder of Fugetsu - do of Little Tokyo in Los Angeles, also claims to have invented the cookie. Kito claims to have gotten the idea of putting a message in a cookie from Omikuji ( fortune slip ) which are sold at temples and shrines in Japan. According to his story, he sold his cookies to Chinese restaurants where they were greeted with much enthusiasm in both the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas. Thus Kito 's main claim is that he is responsible for the cookie being so strongly associated with Chinese restaurants. Up to around World War II, fortune cookies were known as `` fortune tea cakes '' -- likely reflecting their origins in Japanese tea cakes. Fortune cookies moved from being a confection dominated by Japanese - Americans to one dominated by Chinese - Americans sometime around World War II. One theory for why this occurred is because of the Japanese American internment during World War II, which forcibly put over 100,000 Japanese - Americans in internment camps, including those who had produced fortune cookies. This gave an opportunity for Chinese manufacturers. Unusual non-positive aphorism found in a fortune cookie Fortune cookies before the early 20th century were all made by hand. However, the fortune cookie industry changed dramatically after the fortune cookie machine was invented by Shuck Yee from Oakland, California. The machine allowed for mass production of fortune cookies which subsequently allowed the cookies to drop in price to become the novelty and courtesy dessert many Americans are familiar with after their meals at most Chinese restaurants today. Chinese legend Rumors that fortune cookies were invented in China are seen as false. In 1989, fortune cookies were reportedly imported into Hong Kong and sold as `` genuine American fortune cookies ''. Wonton Food attempted to expand its fortune cookie business into China in 1992, but gave up after fortune cookies were considered `` too American ''. Manufacturers Hot fortune cookies being folded around paper fortunes There are approximately 3 billion fortune cookies made each year around the world, the vast majority of them used for consumption in the United States. The largest manufacturer of the cookies is Wonton Food Inc., headquartered in Brooklyn, New York. They make over 4.5 million fortune cookies per day. Another large manufacturer are Baily International in the Midwest and Peking Noodle in the Los Angeles area. There are other smaller, local manufacturers including Tsue Chong Co. in Seattle, Keefer Court Food in Minneapolis and Sunrise Fortune Cookie in Philadelphia. Many smaller companies will also sell custom fortunes. Authorities briefly investigated Wonton Food Inc. in 2005, after 110 Powerball lottery players won about $19 million after using the `` lucky numbers '' on the back of fortunes. Manufacturing processes vary between plants but they generally follow the same procedure. The ingredients ( typically made with a base of flour, sugar, vanilla, and sesame seed oil ) are mixed in a large tank and squirted onto fast moving trays. These function like a conveyor belt and are heated to cook the dough. Cookies are compressed with round hot plates to shape and cook them. The cookies bake for approximately one minute and are reshaped. They can be mechanically shaped or folded by hand. When automated, a machine folds the cookie into the right orientation with the fortune inside. Cooled and hardened cookies are sealed in plastic wrappers, which are then inspected before being sent to be served. Marketing Fortune cookies are used as a tool for marketing for many different companies. One big marketing campaign that used fortune cookies was for the movie Kung Fu Panda 3. The fortune slips in the fortune cookies contained sayings by Po the main character, and are called `` Po - isms. '' The sayings had typical fortune sayings but were said by the main character with relativity towards the movie. Another form of advertisement typically seen on fortune cookies would be for the lottery system. Usually on the back side of the slip with the fortune would be a `` lucky number, '' numbers that can possibly help an individual win the lottery. It promotes people to purchase at least one lottery ticket since this number is given to them by luck, and they could possibly win a lot of money with that one number. Although it does n't seem like much it is a very good method of marketing since a large population in America consumes Chinese food, thus bringing a large market to advertise to. Nutrition Cookies from different manufacturers have somewhat different nutritional content. One cookie is around 20 - 30 calories and 5 - 7 grams of total carbohydrates per cookie. Most cookies contain around 3 grams of sugar, but some have no sugar. They can have between 8 milligrams and 2 milligrams of sodium, and may contain significant ( compared to their size ) amounts of iron or protein. Their small size means they have little nutritional value overall. Around the World Fortune cookies, while largely an American item, have been served in Chinese restaurants in Brazil, Canada, France, India, Italy, Mexico, United Kingdom, as well as other countries. In Peru they 're served in the chifas, Chinese - Peruvian fusion food restaurants. There are also multi-cultural versions of the fortune cookie. For instance, the Mexican version of the fortune cookie is called the `` Lucky Taco '', it is a red taco - shaped cookie with a fortune inside. There is also an Italian version called the `` Lucky Canoli ''. The fortune cookie, although thought to be Chinese, is actually Japanese. The original cookie is cooked with a darker batter and is seasoned with miso and topped with sesame seeds. Asian stereotype Fortune cookies are sometimes viewed as a stereotype of East Asians by Westerners. `` I think it does go to what people think when they think of Asians. They think of food. Because that is really their only point of contact, or awareness, with the Asian - American community. '' said Andrew Kang, senior staff attorney at the Asian - American Institute in Chicago. The Asian American Journalists Association discourages associating ethnic foods with Asian Americans in news coverage. Translations of name Globally, the cookies are generally called by the English term fortune cookies, being American in origin. There is no single accepted Chinese name for the cookies, with a large variety of translations being used to describe them in the Chinese language, all of which being more - or-less literal translations of the English `` fortune cookie ''. Examples include : 幸运 籤 饼 xìngyùn qiān bǐng `` good luck lot cookie '', 籤 语 饼 qiān yǔ bǐng `` fortune words cookie '', 幸运 饼 xìngyùn bǐng `` good luck cookie '', 幸运 籤 语 饼 xìngyùn qiān yǔ bǐng `` lucky fortune words cookie '', 幸运 甜 饼 xìngyùn tián bǐng `` good luck sweet cookie '', 幸福 饼干 xìngfú bǐnggān `` good luck biscuit '', or 占卜 饼 zhānbǔ bǐng `` divining cookie ''. In popular culture The non-Chinese origin of the fortune cookie is humorously illustrated in Amy Tan 's 1989 novel The Joy Luck Club, in which a pair of immigrant women from China find jobs at a fortune cookie factory in America. They are amused by the unfamiliar concept of a fortune cookie but, after several hilarious attempts at translating the fortunes into Chinese, come to the conclusion that the cookies contain not wisdom but `` bad instruction ''. Fortune cookies have become an iconic symbol in American culture, inspiring many products. There are fortune cookie - shaped jewelry, a fortune cookie - shaped Magic 8 Ball, and silver - plated fortune cookies. Fortune cookie toilet paper, with words of wisdom that appear when the paper is moistened, has become popular among university students in Italy and Greece. There is a common joke in the United States involving fortune cookies that involves appending `` between the sheets '' or `` ( except ) in bed '' to the end of the fortune, usually creating a sexual innuendo or other bizarre messages ( e.g., `` Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall ( in bed ) '' ). A gallows humor variation to this joke involves appending the phrase `` in jail '' to the end of the fortune. See also Food portal Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company List of American foods List of topics characterized as pseudoscience Aleuromancy Notes Jump up ^ `` Lottery Numbers from Fortune Cookie ''. Snopes.com. 2010 - 01 - 11. Retrieved 2017 - 05 - 30. ^ Jump up to : Lee, Jennifer ( January 16, 2008 ). `` Solving a Riddle Wrapped in a Mystery Inside a Cookie ''. The New York Times. Retrieved May 10, 2012. Jump up ^ Lee, Jennifer 8. ( January 16, 2008 ). `` Fortune Cookies are really from Japan ''. The Fortune Cookie Chronicles. Archived from the original on 2011 - 07 - 25. Jump up ^ Nagata, Erik. `` A Brief History of The Fortune Cookie ''. Jump up ^ Ono, Gary ( 2007 - 10 - 31 ). `` Japanese American Fortune Cookie : A Taste of Fame or Fortune -- Part II ''. Jump up ^ ( Martin 2004 ) ^ Jump up to : ( Brunner 2005 ). Jump up ^ `` History of Fugetsu - Do ''. www.fugetsu-do.com. Retrieved 2017 - 05 - 30. Jump up ^ Oaklandish ^ Jump up to : `` Origin of Fortune Cookies ''. Snopes.com. 2008 - 06 - 09. Retrieved 2017 - 05 - 30. Jump up ^ Jennifer Lee ( 12 May 2005 ). `` Who Needs Giacomo ? Bet on the Fortune Cookie ''. New York Times. Retrieved 2 February 2017. Jump up ^ Oliver B. Waxman ( 27 January 2017 ). `` Go Behind the Scenes as Fortune Cookie History Gets Made ''. TIME. Retrieved 2 February 2017. Jump up ^ Bratskeir, Kate ( 2014 - 09 - 02 ). `` This Is How Fortune Cookies Are Made ''. Huffington Post. Retrieved 2017 - 04 - 06. Jump up ^ `` Kung Fu Panda 3 Fortune Cookies -- Fortune Cookie Advertising ''. Fortune Cookie Advertising. 2015 - 12 - 05. Retrieved 2017 - 04 - 10. Jump up ^ Islam, Evan. `` Lotto ( Lucky Numbers ) from fortune cookie ''. www.fortunecookiemessage.com. Retrieved 2017 - 04 - 10. Jump up ^ `` Fortune Cookies Desserts Panda Express Chinese Restaurant ''. www.pandaexpress.com. Jump up ^ `` Calories in Pf Chang Chinese Fortune Cookie -- Calories and Nutrition Facts MyFitnessPal.com ''. www.myfitnesspal.com. Jump up ^ `` Calories in Pei Wei Fortune Cookie -- Calories and Nutrition Facts MyFitnessPal.com ''. www.myfitnesspal.com. Jump up ^ `` Calories in Golden Bowl Fortune Cookies -- Calories and Nutrition Facts MyFitnessPal.com ''. www.myfitnesspal.com. ^ Jump up to : Pages, The Society. `` Re-racializing the fortune cookie... again -- Sociological Images ''. thesocietypages.org. Retrieved 2017 - 04 - 06. Jump up ^ Leonard, David ( June 22, 2003 ). `` Yo, Yao ! What does the `` Ming Dynasty '' tell us about race and transnational diplomacy in the NBA ? ( Culture ) ``. ColorLines Magazine. Retrieved September 7, 2010. For example, in honor of Yao 's debut appearance in Miami, the American Airlines Arena passed out fortune cookies to all 8,000 fans in attendance... While understandably a source of cultural delight, the attempts to attract Asian fans through stereotypes and decontextualized cultural festivals reflect the NBA 's economic and cultural hopes for the `` Ming Dynasty. '' Jump up ^ Ballantini, Brett ( March 1, 2003 ). `` Shaquille O'Neil : the ugly American -- From Courtside ''. Basketball Digest. pp. 6 -- 7. Retrieved February 1, 2011. For Yao 's first game in Miami on December 16, the Heat `` honored '' Yao by passing out 8,000 fortune Cookies -- the quintessential Asian stereotype -- to spectators Jump up ^ `` Movie tie - in holds nugget of debate ''. Lodi News - Sentinel. June 20, 1998. p. 4. Retrieved March 1, 2012. Jump up ^ McCarthy, Michael ( February 16, 2012 ). `` Asian stereotypes appearing in coverage of Knicks ' Jeremy Lin ''. USA Today. Archived from the original on February 16, 2012. Jump up ^ Sweeten - Shults, Lana ( February 27, 2012 ). `` Frozen yogurt, cookies offer food for thought ''. Times Record News. Archived from the original on March 1, 2012. Jump up ^ Stableford, Dylan ( February 23, 2012 ). `` Asian American Journalists Association releases guidelines on Jeremy Lin media coverage ''. yahoo.com. Archived from the original on February 25, 2012. Jump up ^ `` AAJA Media Advisory on Jeremy Lin News Coverage ''. channelapa.com. February 23, 2012. Archived from the original on February 25, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Magic Fortune Cookie : Kinda Like An Edible 8 - Ball, But Not Edible Gearfuse ''. Gearfuse. 2007 - 12 - 18. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 26. References Martin, James ( 2004 ), `` Fortune Cookies : A San Francisco Invention '', About.com, archived from the original on August 18, 2004, retrieved August 11, 2004. Brunner, Borgna ( 2005 ), `` The History of the Fortune Cookie '', Infoplease, retrieved May 10, 2005 Lee, Jennifer 8. ( 2008 ). The Fortune Cookie Chronicles. New York City : Twelve Books. ISBN 0 - 446 - 58007 - 4. Parvin, Ellie ( 1995 ), `` Fortune cookie US invention '', Golden Gater, retrieved May 24, 2006. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fortune cookie. Cookie Master -- Article detailing the job of a cookie fortunes writer A Brief History of The Fortune Cookie -- An account by Erik S. 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Question: what do the numbers mean on a fortune cookie
Answer: lucky numbers used by some as lottery numbers