Theimmigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of Usa had a custom of deep-frying chicken in fat and even further back they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The immigrants from Scotland would often labor, live and eat with the African Americans and this lead to the Africans adding some supplementary seasonings to the dish andmakingtheir own versionof fried chicken. These Africans later evolved to be thechefsin many a Southern American household where deep-fried chicken became a prevalent staple.
They also discovered that it transported well inhotweather prior to refrigeration was prevalent so was consumed on almost an every day basis as they walked to the cotton fields to work. Since, it has become the south's top choicefor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a guy called James Boswell who wrote arecordin 1773 known as “diary of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his diary he noted that at meals the local people would eat fricassee of hen 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.
The very true origins of deep-fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known recipe for fried chicken in English is obscured in one of the most prominent culinary books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse known as The Art of culinary Made Plain and Easy. Her formula had a strange name named “To Marinate Chickens” which was first available in 1747. The book was a success in the UK and more importantly in the American Colonies.
Here is the original dish...
Cut two chickens into quarters; 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 very well, dip yourchicken piecesin the batter and fry them in a superior deal of pork lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of bronze incolour and place them on your bowl with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with cut lemon and a fine gravy. Nowadays, we have replaced 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 walked worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
