Themigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of America had a custom of deep frying chicken pieces in lard 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 African slaves and this lead to the Africans adding some extra flavorings to the dish andproducingtheir own interpretationof crispy deep-fried chicken. These Africans later evolved to be thefood preparersin many a Southern American family where deep-fried chicken became a common staple. They also discovered that it transported well inhotclimatic conditions prior to refrigeration was seen everyday so was eaten on almost an every day basis as they walked to the cotton fields to work. Since, it has become the south's most suitable choicefor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a guy named James Boswell who wrote ajournalin 1773 named “diary of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his log he noted that at dinner the locals would eat fricassee of rooster which he went on to say “crispy fried chicken or something like that”. What he in actuality heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not 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 procedure for fried chicken in English is stashed in one of the most renowned cookery books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse named The Art of cookery Made Plain and Easy. Her formula had a strange name known as “To Marinate Chickens” which was first published in 1747. The book was a success in the United kingdom and more importantly in the US Colonies.
Here is the original mix...
Joint two chickens into quarters; 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 thoroughly, dip yourfowlsin the batter and fry them in a good quality deal of hogs lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of golden incolour and lay them on your dish with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemon wedges and a superior gravy. Nowadays, we have replaced 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 formula has travelled worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
