Themigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of America had a custom of deep-frying chicken pieces in fat and even before this they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The immigrants from Scotland would often work, live and eat with the African Americans and this lead to the Africans adding some more flavorings to the dish andmakingtheir own interpretationof crispy deep-fried chicken. These Africans later became thecaterersin many a Southern American house where deep-fried chicken became a universal staple. They also found that it travelled well inhottemperatures before refrigeration was everyday so was eaten on almost a daily basis as they walked to the cotton fields to work. Since then it has become the southern state's top choicefor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a gentleman known as James Boswell who wrote adiaryin 1773 named “journal of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his journal he noted that at dinner the local folks would eat fricassee of capon which he went on to say “deep-fried chicken or something like that”. What he in actual fact 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 crispy fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known food for crispy deep-fried chicken in English is hidden away in one of the most eminent cooking books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse called The Art of cookery Made Plain and Easy. Her process 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 Usa Colonies.
Here is the original recipe...
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 eggssome melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together well, dip yourfowlsin the batter and fry them in a superior deal of hogs lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of golden incolour and place them on your plate with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with cut lemon and a excellent 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 dish has journeyed worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
