Themigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of Us had a custom of deep frying poultry in fat and even prior to this they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The Scrotish migrants would often work, live and eat with the African slaves and this lead to the Africans adding some additional flavorings to the formula andmakingtheir own interpretationof crispy deep-fried chicken. These Africans later became thechefsin many a Southern American home where crispy fried chicken became a universal staple. They also observed that it travelled well inhottemperatures before refrigeration was seen everyday so was eaten on almost a daily basis as they travelled to the cotton fields to labor. Since, it has become the region’s best optionfor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a fellow known as James Boswell who wrote alogin 1773 named “log of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his log he noted that at meals the local people would eat fricassee of pullet 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 deep-fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known food for crispy deep-fried chicken in English is obscured in one of the most famous cookery books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse called The Art of culinary Made Plain and Easy. Her formula had a strange name called “To Marinate Chickens” which was first published in 1747. The book was a hit in the UK and more importantly in the American Colonies.
Here is the original dish...
Cut two chickens into pieces; marinate 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 eggssome melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together very well, dip yourchicken piecesin the batter and fry them in a high-quality deal of pork lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of light golden incolour and serve them on your bowl with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemon wedges and a good quality gravy. Presently, we have exchanged the hog fat with Rapeseed oil which contains 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.
