TheScottish immigrantsfrom the southern states of Us had a custom of deep frying poultry in lard and even before this they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The Scottish immigrants would often work, live and dine with the African Americans and this lead to the Africans adding some new seasonings to the food anddevelopingtheir own presentationof deep-fried chicken. These Africans later evolved to be thecaterersin many a Southern American house where crispy deep-fried chicken became a frequent staple. They also learned that it journeyed well inwarmclimate before refrigeration was prevalent so was consumed on almost a daily basis as they travelled to the cotton fields to work. Since then it has become the region’s best choicefor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a fellow known as James Boswell who wrote arecordin 1773 called “journal of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his journal he noted that at an evening meal the local folks would eat fricassee of capon which he went on to say “crispy deep-fried chicken or something like that”. What he in reality 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 dish for crispy fried chicken in English is obscured in one of the most eminent cookery books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse named The Art of culinary Made Plain and Easy. Her process had a strange name called “To Marinate Chickens” which was first published in 1747. The book was a success in the England and more importantly in the US Colonies.
Here is the original food...
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 the yolks of two eggssome melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together thoroughly, dip yourfowlsin 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 serve them on your dish with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemons and a first-rate gravy. Presently, we have replaced the hog fat with Rapeseed oil which features 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 mix has went worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
