Theimmigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of America had a tradition of deep frying chicken in lard and even before this they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The immigrants from Scotland would often work, live and dine with the African slaves and this lead to the Africans adding some other seasonings to the process anddevelopingtheir own interpretationof crispy fried chicken. These Africans later went on to become thecaterersin many a Southern American house where deep-fried chicken became a frequent staple.
They also learned that it lasted well well inwarmweather in the times before refrigeration was everyday so was consumed on almost an every day basis as they walked to the cotton fields to labor. Since then it has become the south's go-tofor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a male named James Boswell who wrote ajournalin 1773 known as “journal of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his record he noted that at dinner the locals would eat fricassee of rooster which he went on to say “fried chicken or something like that”. What he actually heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not crispy deep-fried chicken but you could say that where it was first named.
The very true origins of crispy fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known formula for deep-fried chicken in English is hidden away in one of the most celebrated cooking books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse called The Art of cookery Made Plain and Easy. Her recipe had a strange name named “To Marinate Chickens” which was first available in 1747. The book was a hit in the UK and more importantly in the Usa Colonies.
Here is the original process...
Cut two chickens into pieces; 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 the yolks of two eggsa little melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together very well, dip yourfowlsin the batter and fry them in a high-quality deal of pork shorteningwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of light golden incolour and place them on your dish with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with cut lemon and a high-quality gravy. Presently, we have swapped out 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 dish has journeyed worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
