Theimmigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of America 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 Scrotish migrants would often labor, live and eat with the African Americans and this lead to the Africans adding some additional flavorings to the procedure andbuildingtheir own versionof crispy fried chicken. These Africans later became thechefsin many a Southern American family where crispy deep-fried chicken became a prevalent staple. They also found that it lasted well well inwarmweather in the times before refrigeration was seen everyday so was enjoyed on almost an every day basis as they journeyed to the cotton fields to labor. Since, it has become the south's top choicefor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a man named James Boswell who wrote ajournalin 1773 called “journal of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his journal he noted that at dinner the local people would eat fricassee of pullet which he went on to say “crispy deep-fried chicken or something like that”. What he really 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 fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known dish for fried chicken in English is stashed in one of the most prominent culinary books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse called The Art of cooking Made Plain and Easy. Her recipe had a strange name named “To Marinate Chickens” which was first released in 1747. The book was a hit in the United kingdom and more importantly in the American Colonies.
Here is the original formula...
Joint two chickens into pieces; 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 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 set them on your dish with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemon wedges and a first-rate gravy. Presently, we have substituted 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 formula has journeyed worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
