TheScrotish migrantsfrom the southern states of Usa had a custom of deep-frying chicken in lard and even before this they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The migrants from Scotland would often work, live and eat with the indentured Africans and this lead to the Africans adding some extra seasonings to the formula andbuildingtheir own interpretationof deep-fried chicken. These Africans later went on to become thecooksin many a Southern American family where crispy fried chicken became a ordinary staple. They also learned that it journeyed well inwarmclimatic conditions in the times before refrigeration was commonplace so was eaten on almost a daily basis as they walked to the cotton fields to labor. Since, it has become the region’s preferred choicefor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a guy named James Boswell who wrote arecordin 1773 known as “record of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his record he noted that at mealtime the local folks would eat fricassee of hen which he went on to say “crispy deep-fried chicken or something like that”. What he in actuality 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 dish for deep-fried chicken in English is hidden away in one of the most eminent cookery books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse named The Art of cookery Made Plain and Easy. Her procedure 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 food...
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 yolksa little melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together well, dip yourfowlsin the batter and fry them in a first-class deal of hogs lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of light golden incolour and lay them on your bowl with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemon wedges and a high-quality gravy. Presently, 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 mix has travelled worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
