TheScottish immigrantsfrom the southern states of Usa had a custom of deep-frying chicken in lard and even prior to this they used to fry fritters in the middle ages.
The Scottish immigrants would often labor, live and dine with the African slaves and this lead to the Africans adding some supplementary flavorings to the process andproducingtheir own versionof crispy fried chicken.
These Africans later went on to become thefood preparersin many a Southern American home where crispy deep-fried chicken became a prevalent staple.
This is said to have come from a fellow named James Boswell who wrote adiaryin 1773 known as “journal of a Tour to the Hebrides”.
In his journal he noted that at dinner the local folks would eat fricassee of poultry which he went on to say “deep-fried chicken or something like that”.
What he in actuality heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not crispy deep-fried chicken but you could say that where it was first named.They also observed that it lasted well well inhotweather prior to refrigeration was commonplace so was eaten on almost an every day basis as they journeyed to the cotton fields to labor.
Since then it has become the south's top choicefor just about any occasion.
The very true origins of deep-fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known mix for crispy fried chicken in English is hidden away in one of the most celebrated cookery books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse named The Art of cooking Made Plain and Easy.
Her process had a strange name called “To Marinate Chickens” which was first released in 1747. The book was a hit in the UK and more importantly in the Usa Colonies.
Here is the original formula...
Joint 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 eggsa little melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together very well, dip yourchicken piecesin the batter and fry them in a good quality deal of pork lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of golden incolour and arrange them on your dish with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemon slices 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 process has journeyed worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
