Themigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of Us had a tradition of deep-frying poultry in lard and even previously they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The immigrants from Scotland would often labor, live and eat with the indentured Africans and this lead to the Africans adding some other seasonings to the mix andbuildingtheir own versionof deep-fried chicken. These Africans later evolved to be thecooksin many a Southern American house where fried chicken became a common staple. They also observed that it travelled well inhottemperatures prior to refrigeration was common so was eaten on almost an every day basis as they travelled to the cotton fields to work. Since, it has become the south's top choicefor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a fellow known as James Boswell who wrote ajournalin 1773 known as “diary of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his log he noted that at mealtime the locals would eat fricassee of fowl which he went on to say “crispy fried chicken or something like that”. What he really heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not crispy deep-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 food for fried chicken in English is hidden away in one of the most famed cooking books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse called The Art of cooking Made Plain and Easy. Her procedure had a strange name named “To Marinate Chickens” which was first released in 1747. The book was a hit in the England and more importantly in the US Colonies.
Here is the original recipe...
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 2 eeg yolkssome melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together thoroughly, dip yourchicken piecesin the batter and fry them in a first-rate deal of pork shorteningwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of light golden incolour and lay them on your platter with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemon slices and a first-rate gravy. These days, we have changed 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 process has journeyed worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
