Fortune cookies were invented in California, not China

🤷 This changes nothingFact Battle

Fortune cookies are unknown in China as a traditional food — they were invented in San Francisco or Los Angeles in the early 20th century, likely by Japanese-American bakers inspired by a Japanese tradition of inserting fortunes into crackers. After World War II, Japanese-American bakers were displaced from the fortune cookie business by Chinese-American producers, which created the popular association with Chinese cuisine. When fortune cookies were exported to Hong Kong in the 1990s, locals found them amusingly foreign.

Why this is surprising

Fortune cookies are so deeply associated with Chinese restaurants in the West that discovering they're a California invention feels like cultural inversion — the 'Chinese' food that isn't Chinese at all.

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“Fortune cookies are not Chinese. They were invented in California, probably by Japanese-American bakers. When exported to China, locals found them amusingly foreign. 🥠 #OddlyHuman”

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