Theimmigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of Usa had a custom 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 eat with the African Americans and this lead to the Africans adding some new seasonings to the process andbuildingtheir own interpretationof crispy deep-fried chicken.
These Africans later became thefood preparersin many a Southern American home where deep-fried chicken became a typical staple.
This is said to have come from a gentleman named James Boswell who wrote arecordin 1773 called “log of a Tour to the Hebrides”.
In his journal he noted that at mealtime the locals would eat fricassee of hen which he went on to say “crispy deep-fried chicken or something like that”.
What he in actual fact heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not fried chicken but you could say that where it was first named.They also observed that it travelled well inhotclimate prior to refrigeration was commonplace so was eaten on almost a daily basis as they journeyed to the cotton fields to work.
Since, it has become the region’s best choicefor just about any occasion.
The very true origins of fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known process for crispy deep-fried chicken in English is obscured in one of the most notable cookery books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse known as The Art of culinary 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 United kingdom and more importantly in the Usa Colonies.
Here is the original mix...
Joint two chickens into pieces; 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 2 eeg yolksa little melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together very well, dip yourfowlsin the batter and fry them in a good quality deal of pork lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of light golden incolour and set them on your platter with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemons and a good quality gravy. Now, 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 mix has travelled worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
