TheScottish immigrantsfrom the southern states of Usa had a tradition of deep frying chicken in fat and even prior to this they used to fry fritters in the middle ages.
The immigrants from Scotland would often work, live and eat with the indentured Africans and this lead to the Africans adding some supplementary flavorings to the dish andproducingtheir own presentationof fried chicken.
These Africans later went on to become thecaterersin many a Southern American household where crispy fried chicken became a universal staple.
This is said to have come from a gentleman known as James Boswell who wrote adiaryin 1773 named “record of a Tour to the Hebrides”.
In his record he noted that at dinner the local folks would eat fricassee of pullet which he went on to say “fried chicken or something like that”.
What he in fact heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not fried chicken but you could say that where it was first named.They also learned that it travelled well inwarmtemperatures prior to refrigeration was prevalent so was enjoyed on almost every day basis as they travelled to the cotton fields to work.
Since, it has become the southern state's go-tofor just about any occasion.
The very true origins of deep-fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known mix for deep-fried chicken in English is obscured in one of the most famed cooking books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse named The Art of cookery Made Plain and Easy.
Her food had a strange name known as “To Marinate Chickens” which was first released in 1747. The book was a hit in the UK and more importantly in the Usa Colonies.
Here is the original food...
Cut 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 yolkssome melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together well, dip yourchicken piecesin the batter and fry them in a high-quality deal of pork shorteningwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of light golden incolour and arrange them on your bowl with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemon slices and a fine gravy. Today, we have substituted 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 procedure has journeyed worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
