TheScottish immigrantsfrom the southern states of Usa had a tradition of deep-frying poultry in fat and even prior to this they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The Scottish immigrants would often labor, live and eat with the indentured Africans and this lead to the Africans adding some supplementary seasoning to the procedure andgeneratingtheir own versionof fried chicken. These Africans later became thecooksin many a Southern American family where deep-fried chicken became a prevalent staple. They also discovered that it travelled well inwarmweather conditions prior to refrigeration was common so was enjoyed on almost every day basis as they travelled to the cotton fields to work. Since then it has become the south's best choicefor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a gentleman known as James Boswell who wrote arecordin 1773 called “record of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his journal he noted that at mealtime the local folks would eat fricassee of chicken which he went on to say “fried chicken or something like that”. What he really heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not crispy fried chicken but you could say that where it was first named.
The very true origins of crispy deep-fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known mix for crispy deep-fried chicken in English is obscured in one of the most notable cookery books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse known as The Art of cookery Made Plain and Easy. Her procedure had a strange name named “To Marinate Chickens” which was first published in 1747. The book was a hit in the England and more importantly in the American Colonies.
Here is the original mix...
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 yolksa little melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together thoroughly, dip yourchicken piecesin the batter and fry them in a fine deal of hogs lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of a fine browncolour and set them on your plate with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemon slices and a good gravy. Presently, we have exchanged 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 food has walked worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
