Theimmigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of Usa had a custom of deep-frying poultry in fat and even prior to this 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 other seasoning to the mix andcreatingtheir own presentationof deep-fried chicken.
These Africans later became thecooksin many a Southern American household where crispy deep-fried chicken became a prevalent staple.
This is said to have come from a guy called James Boswell who wrote ajournalin 1773 called “log of a Tour to the Hebrides”.
In his journal he noted that at mealtime the local people 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 fried chicken but you could say that where it was first named.They also found that it lasted well well inwarmweather before refrigeration was commonplace so was enjoyed on almost a daily basis as they went to the cotton fields to work.
Since then it has become the southern state's best optionfor just about any occasion.
The very true origins of crispy fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known recipe for fried chicken in English is stashed in one of the most well-known cookery books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse named The Art of cooking Made Plain and Easy.
Her dish had a strange name known as “To Marinate Chickens” which was first in print in 1747. The book was a success in the UK and more importantly in the US Colonies.
Here is the original mix...
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 the yolks of two eggsa little melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together well, dip yourfowlsin 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 golden incolour and lay them on your plate with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemons and a superior gravy. Today, we have exchanged 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 food has travelled worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
