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Fortune Cookies Come From Japan

The New York Times reveals that the fortune cookie actually come from Japan:

fortune cookie

Now a researcher in Japan believes she can explain the disconnect, which has long perplexed American tourists in China. Fortune cookies, Yasuko Nakamachi says, are almost certainly originally from Japan.

Her prime pieces of evidence are the generations-old small family bakeries making obscure fortune cookie-shaped crackers by hand near a temple outside Kyoto. She has also turned up many references to the cookies in Japanese literature and history, including an 1878 image of a man making them in a bakery – decades before the first reports of American fortune cookies.

10 comments - What do you think? Posted by James - January 17, 2008 at 1:40 pm

Categories: Japanese Food Tags: china, chinese, food, fortune cookie, japan, japanese

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stereo

Very interesting.
The article mentions “Tsujiura Sembei”. In the city of Kanazawa, there is very long tradition to eat a sweet called “Tsujiura” only on new year’s day which contains a piece of paper telling the fortune.
http://www.1350.jp/tabegoro/toriyose/030104.htm
Dave

Lame. Japan also claimed to have invented Kim Chee and Sou ju. Whats next? Vietnamese Pho?
This is like saying eating raw fish is Chinese because they were the first to do it. (Fact)

stereo

Who says Japanese invented Kim Chee? I never heard of such claim made by Japanese.

The Overthinker

I think the claims that Japan invented kimchee are made by Koreans who wish to discredit Japan.

http://www.japanprobe.com James

The article linked was about searching for the origin “Chinese” food that doesn’t exist in China. It’s not the same as claiming that Kimchi is Japanese or sushi is Korean/Chinese.

Ryan

Great article. The colorful paper in the Japanese version looks better than the plain white paper used in most American cookies. There is definitely a marketing opportunity there. Put colorful ads on one side of the paper and the fortune on the other side. Kudos to Yasuko Nakamachi for her research into the history of the humble fortune cookie.
Aki

The bakery in Kyoto mentioned in the NYT article seems to be “総本家宝玉堂 (Sohonke Hogyokudo)” in front of Fushimi Inari Shrine. If anyone go to the shrine, take a look at the shop.
http://shao.pengguo.com Peng

Finally, I hope people can stop associating the fortune cookie to Chinese!

Karisu

No chance of that actually happening.

Fortune Cookies Come From Japan

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