Themigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of Usa had a tradition of deep frying poultry in fat and even previously they used to fry fritters in the middle ages.
The Scottish immigrants would often work, live and dine with the African slaves and this lead to the Africans adding some extra spices to the procedure andbuildingtheir own presentationof deep-fried chicken.
These Africans later went on to become thechefsin many a Southern American family where crispy deep-fried chicken became a ordinary staple.
This is said to have come from a chap called James Boswell who wrote arecordin 1773 known as “diary of a Tour to the Hebrides”.
In his record he noted that at mealtime the locals would eat fricassee of fowl which he went on to say “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.They also discovered that it journeyed well inhotconditions before refrigeration was commonplace so was enjoyed on almost every day basis as they walked to the cotton fields to work.
Since then it has become the south's preferred choicefor just about any occasion.
The very true origins of crispy deep-fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known food for deep-fried chicken in English is hidden away in one of the most famed cooking books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse named The Art of culinary Made Plain and Easy.
Her recipe had a strange name known as “To Marinate Chickens” which was first available in 1747. The book was a hit in the United kingdom and more importantly in the American Colonies.
Here is the original process...
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 well, dip yourchicken piecesin the batter and fry them in a fine deal of pork shorteningwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of bronze incolour and set them on your dish with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemon wedges and a high-quality gravy. Today, we have substituted 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 journeyed worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
