Themigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of America had a custom of deep frying chicken in fat and even previously they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The Scrotish migrants would often labor, live and eat with the indentured Africans and this lead to the Africans adding some extra seasonings to the process andcreatingtheir own versionof crispy fried chicken. These Africans later evolved to be thecooksin many a Southern American house where fried chicken became a typical staple. They also found that it transported well inhottemperatures prior to refrigeration was common so was enjoyed on almost every day basis as they went to the cotton fields to work. Since, it has become the region’s preferred choicefor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a guy named James Boswell who wrote ajournalin 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 rooster which he went on to say “fried chicken or something like that”. What he in reality heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not crispy 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 formula for fried chicken in English is hidden away in one of the most celebrated cooking books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse called 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 United kingdom and more importantly in the American Colonies.
Here is the original procedure...
Cut two chickens into quarters; 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 2 eeg yolksa little melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together thoroughly, dip yourchicken piecesin the batter and fry them in a good deal of pork lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of golden incolour and lay them on your dish with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemons and a first-class 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 procedure has journeyed worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
