In honour of National Cookie Day, here is today's Cookie Fun Fact!
Did you know that...
"The first cookie dates back to the 7th Century AD in Persia, which is now Iran. Persia was one of the first countries to cultivate sugar. Cakes and pastries were well known in the Persian Empire. The Crusades and the developing spice trade spread Persian cooking techniques and ingredients throughout Northern Europe. " (badgesforall, 2020)
BONUS FACT: "During the 13th and 14th centuries, China was occupied by Mongols. The story goes that the Mongols had no taste for Lotus Nut Paste. So, the Chinese people hid sayings inscribed with the date of their revolution inside the Moon Cakes where the yolk would typically reside. Under the disguise of a Taoist priest, patriotic revolutionary Chu Yuan Chang, entered occupied walled cities to hand out Moon Cakes to other revolutionaries. These instructions coordinated the uprising that successfully allowed the Chinese people to form the basis of the Ming Dynasty. Moon Festival became regularly celebrated. Part of that tradition was the passing out of cakes with sayings inside them. It is thought that this legend is what inspired the Chinese 49ers working on the construction of American Railways through the Sierra Nevada to California. When Moon Festival rolled around, they did not have any traditional moon cakes. So out of necessity they improvised with hard biscuits and the Fortune Cookie was born." (Fancy Fortune Cookies, 2020)
References:
badgesforall. (2019, December 11). Cookie Research: History, Techniques, and Fun Facts. Retrieved from Badges For All: https://badgesforall.org/2019/12/11/cookie-research-history-techniques-and-fun-facts/
Fancy Fortune Cookies. (2020). Fortune Cookie History. Retrieved from Fancy Fortune Cookies: https://www.fancyfortunecookies.com/Articles.asp?ID=148