TheScottish immigrantsfrom the southern states of Usa had a custom of deep-frying chicken pieces in fat and even previously they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The migrants from Scotland would often labor, live and eat with the African Americans and this lead to the Africans adding some additional flavorings to the food andgeneratingtheir own versionof fried chicken. These Africans later evolved to be thefood preparersin many a Southern American home where crispy fried chicken became a common staple. They also discovered that it transported well inwarmclimatic conditions before refrigeration was commonplace so was consumed on almost every day basis as they went to the cotton fields to work. Since then it has become the southern state's most suitable choicefor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a man called James Boswell who wrote arecordin 1773 called “diary of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his diary he noted that at an evening meal the local folks would eat fricassee of fowl which he went on to say “crispy fried chicken or something like that”. What he in reality 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 deep-fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known dish for fried chicken in English is obscured in one of the most prominent culinary books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse called The Art of cooking Made Plain and Easy. Her process had a strange name named “To Marinate Chickens” which was first in print in 1747. The book was a hit in the England and more importantly in the American Colonies.
Here is the original process...
Joint two chickens into pieces; 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 eggsa little melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together very well, dip yourfowlsin the batter and fry them in a first-class deal of pork lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of a fine browncolour and set them on your platter with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemon wedges and a excellent gravy. Nowadays, 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 food has travelled worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
