Everyone looks forward to the fortune cookies at the end of a meal in a Chinese restaurant. Without them people would be very disappointed. How did the Chinese people come up with such a novel idea for dessert?

Fortune cookies taste great, and they certainly are fun. You will see many people in the Chinese restaurant laughing at the end of the meal, while reading their “fortune”.

During the 13th and 14th century China was ruled by the Mongols. It was customary for the Chinese to eat what were called moon cakes during the New Year’s celebration. According to the ancient Chinese legends, the Mongols did not care for lotus past, which is what moon cakes were made from.

The truth about the fortune cookie is this. During the time when China was ruled by the Mongols, at some time during the 14th century, the Chinese people begin planning an uprising. They wanted to keep this uprising a secret from the Mongols. According to this legend, the Mongols did not like the taste of lotus paste. The Chinese people were planning the uprising decided to hide messages within the moon cakes giving the details of the uprising. This way they could get the message out with out the Mongols hearing about it.

During the pioneer days, when the great railroads were being built in California, the fortune cookie was first introduced to the United States. It is well-known that people of Chinese descent, commonly worked on the building of this railway. This gave the American people the opportunity to learn about and enjoy some traditional Chinese customs, including the fortune cookie.

Today you can find designer fortune cookies which contain personalized messages. You may even find them in assorted flavors. You may even find Chinese restaurants which specialize serving these personalized messages.

The origin of fortune cookie is quite interesting. Enjoying them after a meal in a Chinese restaurant is a relatively new idea, but without them this bill would not be the same.