TheScottish immigrantsfrom the southern states of Usa had a tradition of deep frying poultry in lard and even further back they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The Scottish immigrants would often labor, live and dine with the African Americans and this lead to the Africans adding some more flavorings to the formula andcreatingtheir own versionof fried chicken. These Africans later became thefood preparersin many a Southern American house where crispy deep-fried chicken became a typical staple.
They also learned that it journeyed well inwarmclimate in the times before refrigeration was common so was eaten on almost every day basis as they journeyed to the cotton fields to work. Since, it has become the south's preferred choicefor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a fellow named James Boswell who wrote ajournalin 1773 called “journal of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his log he noted that at dinner the locals would eat fricassee of chicken which he went on to say “crispy fried chicken or something like that”. What he in fact heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not crispy 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 mix for crispy deep-fried chicken in English is stashed in one of the most recognized cooking books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse called The Art of culinary Made Plain and Easy. Her dish had a strange name called “To Marinate Chickens” which was first available in 1747. The book was a hit in the United kingdom and more importantly in the US Colonies.
Here is the original procedure...
Joint two chickens into quarters; marinate 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 eggsa little melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together well, dip yourchicken piecesin the batter and fry them in a high-quality deal of pork lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of golden incolour and place them on your platter with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with cut lemon and a high-quality gravy. Nowadays, we have exchanged the hog fat with Rapeseed oil which has 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 formula has journeyed worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
