Despite being an everyday staple in American Chinese restaurants, the fortune cookie is likely Japanese in origin. It is based on the 'tsujiura senbei,' a larger, darker cracker made with miso and sesame that contained a fortune tucked into the fold. These were served in Japanese tea houses in California in the early 1900s. During World War II, when Japanese-Americans were sent to internment camps, Chinese-American manufacturers took over production. Because of the timing, the cookies became associated with Chinese cuisine in the American mind. Today, they are virtually unknown in China, with the world's largest manufacturer, Wonton Food Inc., located in Brooklyn, New York.