Themigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of America had a custom of deep-frying chicken pieces in lard and even further back they used to fry fritters in the middle ages.
The Scrotish migrants would often labor, live and dine with the African slaves and this lead to the Africans adding some other spices to the process anddevelopingtheir own interpretationof deep-fried chicken.
These Africans later went on to become thecooksin many a Southern American house where deep-fried chicken became a universal staple.
This is said to have come from a man known as James Boswell who wrote alogin 1773 named “log of a Tour to the Hebrides”.
In his journal he noted that at dinner the local folks would eat fricassee of hen which he went on to say “deep-fried chicken or something like that”.
What he in actuality heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not deep-fried chicken but you could say that where it was first named.They also discovered that it transported well inhotweather conditions before refrigeration was common so was consumed on almost a daily basis as they went to the cotton fields to work.
Since, it has become the southern state's most suitable choicefor just about any occasion.
The very true origins of crispy deep-fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known mix for fried chicken in English is hidden away in one of the most famed culinary books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse known as The Art of cooking Made Plain and Easy.
Her food had a strange name known as “To Marinate Chickens” which was first published in 1747. The book was a hit in the England and more importantly in the Usa Colonies.
Here is the original formula...
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 2 eeg yolkssome melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together well, dip yourchicken piecesin the batter and fry them in a high-quality deal of hogs lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of bronze incolour and serve them on your plate with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemons and a fine gravy. Nowadays, we have swapped out the hog fat with Rapeseed oil which contains 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 went worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
