How did fortune cookies start?
Popular dessert treats for Chinese food fans, fortune cookies are thought by some to be a completely Americanized delicacy. However, the cookies have their roots in China hundreds of years ago.OriginThe first fortune cookies were produced in 13th- and 14th-century China, when the country was occupied by the Mongols.First PurposeKnowing that the Mongols did not like lotus nut paste, the Chinese hid messages about a secret, patriotic uprising called the Red Turban Rebellion inside lotus nut paste moon cakes, according to New World Encyclopedia.SuccessChu Yuan Chang, a patriotic revolutionary disguised as a Taoist priest, distributed the cookies to his fellow rebels. His distribution was successful, and the Chinese won the revolt, leading to the establishment of the Ming Dynasty.Modern CookieDuring the California Gold Rush, from 1846 to 1849, the Chinese who were building the railways from Sierra Nevada to California put positive messages inside cookies and ate them at their Moon Festival
