WEEKLY RECIPE with Bette Banjack — 2023 is the year of the rabbit
The Chinese recently celebrated the arrival of the Lunar New Year — 2023 is the year of the “Rabbit.” The date is determined when the second new moon falls after the winter solstice. It can fall anywhere between January 21st and February 20th.
The Lunar New Year is celebrated throughout quite a few Asian communities. It is not a holiday in Japan, which adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1873 to bring their country in line with the West. The terms are interchangeable for the Chinese and Lunar New Year.
The year of the “Rabbit” is associated with peace and prosperity. As well as there is legend and traditions for the Chinese. Thousands of years ago there was a mythical beast that was called “Nian.” They showed up each Lunar New Year’s Eve to terrorize the people and the livestock. The people would set off fireworks and allow lanterns to burn all night to ward him off.
The fortune cookie is closely associated with and thought to be of Chinese origin. It was actually invented in California. Another association is that most if not all Chinese restaurants serve them.
It was in 1918 a Chinese immigrant David Jung while living in Los Angeles.
Mr. Jung was the founder of the Hong Kong Noodle Factory. He made and handed them out to the poor free of charge. Offering some nutriment to the poor that wandered around outside the factory.
The fortune cookie rights now belong to Wonton Foods Inc. in Brooklyn, New York. Approximately 4.5 million are made in a single day.
I really wanted to share a Fortune Cookie recipe with you. But I recall the several times I tried making them it was not a successful venture. If you really want to try and make them — check out recipes in cookbooks or Google. Let me know if you are successful in the attempt. There are several gadgets that now help in making them.
Chinese food is one of the top favorite foods consumed in the United States. It seems Chinese food diners even learn to use chopsticks instead of forks to eat.