Themigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of Us had a custom of deep-frying chicken pieces in fat and even prior to this they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The migrants from Scotland would often labor, live and eat with the African Americans and this lead to the Africans adding some additional seasonings to the mix andbuildingtheir own interpretationof fried chicken. These Africans later went on to become thecooksin many a Southern American house where deep-fried chicken became a ordinary staple.
They also found that it journeyed well inwarmconditions prior to refrigeration was seen everyday so was consumed on almost a daily basis as they travelled to the cotton fields to labor. Since, it has become the region’s best optionfor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a guy named James Boswell who wrote alogin 1773 known as “record of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his journal he noted that at dinner the locals would eat fricassee of poultry which he went on to say “deep-fried chicken or something like that”. What he in reality heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not deep-fried chicken but you could say that where it was first named.
The very true origins of deep-fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known mix for fried chicken in English is stashed in one of the most prominent cookery books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse called The Art of cooking Made Plain and Easy. Her formula had a strange name named “To Marinate Chickens” which was first published in 1747. The book was a success in the England and more importantly in the American Colonies.
Here is the original dish...
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 2 eeg yolksa little melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together very well, dip yourfowlsin 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 light golden incolour and set them on your dish with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemons and a first-class gravy. Today, we have changed 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 procedure has journeyed worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
