Themigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of Usa had a tradition of deep-frying chicken pieces in lard and even further back they used to fry fritters in the middle ages.
The migrants from Scotland would often work, live and dine with the African slaves and this lead to the Africans adding some new seasoning to the food anddevelopingtheir own interpretationof crispy fried chicken.
These Africans later went on to become thechefsin many a Southern American home where fried chicken became a prevalent staple.
This is said to have come from a male known as James Boswell who wrote adiaryin 1773 named “record of a Tour to the Hebrides”.
In his record he noted that at an evening meal the local folks would eat fricassee of poultry which he went on to say “deep-fried chicken or something like that”.
What he really heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not crispy deep-fried chicken but you could say that where it was first named.They also found out that it transported well inhotclimate prior to refrigeration was common so was eaten on almost a daily basis as they went to the cotton fields to work.
Since, it has become the region’s go-tofor just about any occasion.
The very true origins of crispy deep-fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known food for crispy fried chicken in English is hidden away in one of the most celebrated culinary books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse known as The Art of cooking Made Plain and Easy.
Her food had a strange name known as “To Marinate Chickens” which was first in print in 1747. The book was a hit in the England and more importantly in the Usa Colonies.
Here is the original process...
Joint two chickens into quarters; steep them in vinegar for 3-4 hours with pepper, salt, bay and a few cloves. Make a very thick batter first with ½ pint of wine and flour then 2 eeg yolkssome melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together well, dip yourchicken piecesin the batter and fry them in a good deal of pork shorteningwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of a fine browncolour and set them on your dish with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemon wedges and a fine gravy. In the present day, we have replaced the hog fat with Rapeseed oil which has nearly zero trans fats and we use a brine of buttermilk and salt to season our chicken throughout. It’s amazing to think how far this formula has travelled worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
