TheScottish immigrantsfrom the southern states of Us had a tradition of deep frying chicken pieces in fat and even further back 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 more seasonings to the formula andmakingtheir own interpretationof crispy deep-fried chicken. These Africans later evolved to be thechefsin many a Southern American family where fried chicken became a typical staple. They also found out that it transported well inwarmconditions in the times before refrigeration was commonplace so was consumed on almost a daily basis as they travelled to the cotton fields to work. Since, it has become the region’s best optionfor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a guy called James Boswell who wrote alogin 1773 named “journal of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his journal he noted that at meals the local folks would eat fricassee of chicken which he went on to say “crispy fried chicken or something like that”. What he in actual fact heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not 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 process for crispy deep-fried chicken in English is stashed in one of the most renowned cooking books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse named The Art of cookery Made Plain and Easy. Her dish 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 American Colonies.
Here is the original process...
Joint two chickens into quarters; lay 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 well, dip yourchicken piecesin the batter and fry them in a excellent deal of pork shorteningwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of light golden incolour and arrange them on your plate with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemon slices and a high-quality gravy. Presently, we have exchanged 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 process has walked worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
