Fortune Cookies

Fortune cookies are crisp, rolled cookies typically served at the end of a meal in Chinese restaurants in the United States. Inside each cookie is a small slip of paper with a message, which may include a fortune, a piece of advice, or a prediction. They are believed to have originated in California in the early 20th century and are more of a Western tradition than a traditional Chinese one. The cookies are made from dough that’s baked, folded around the message, and cooled into their distinctive shape. They are primarily a fun, theatrical element of dining rather than a serious or authentic cultural artifact.