TheScottish immigrantsfrom the southern states of Usa had a custom of deep-frying poultry in lard and even prior to this they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The Scrotish migrants would often work, live and dine with the indentured Africans and this lead to the Africans adding some new flavorings to the procedure andgeneratingtheir own presentationof deep-fried chicken. These Africans later became thechefsin many a Southern American house where crispy deep-fried chicken became a prevalent staple. They also discovered that it journeyed well inwarmclimate prior to refrigeration was seen everyday so was consumed on almost an every day basis as they went to the cotton fields to work. Since then it has become the southern state's most suitable choicefor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a gentleman known as James Boswell who wrote alogin 1773 called “journal of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his record he noted that at an evening meal the local folks would eat fricassee of poultry which he went on to say “crispy 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.
The very true origins of crispy deep-fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known mix for deep-fried chicken in English is stashed in one of the most prominent cookery books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse named The Art of culinary Made Plain and Easy. Her recipe had a strange name named “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 procedure...
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 the yolks of two eggssome melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together thoroughly, dip yourchicken piecesin the batter and fry them in a good deal of hogs lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of golden incolour and serve them on your bowl with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with cut lemon and a good gravy. Now, 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 formula has journeyed worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
