Themigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of Usa had a custom of deep-frying chicken pieces in lard and even before this they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The migrants from Scotland would often labor, live and dine with the African slaves and this lead to the Africans adding some extra seasonings to the formula andmakingtheir own presentationof deep-fried chicken. These Africans later evolved to be thechefsin many a Southern American home where deep-fried chicken became a prevalent staple. They also discovered that it lasted well well inhotconditions before refrigeration was prevalent so was enjoyed on almost a daily basis as they walked to the cotton fields to work. Since then it has become the region’s preferred choicefor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a male known as James Boswell who wrote alogin 1773 called “diary of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his record he noted that at dinner the locals would eat fricassee of hen which he went on to say “fried chicken or something like that”. What he really 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 crispy deep-fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known food for deep-fried chicken in English is obscured in one of the most eminent cookery books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse called The Art of cookery Made Plain and Easy. Her procedure had a strange name named “To Marinate Chickens” which was first in print in 1747. The book was a success in the United kingdom and more importantly in the US Colonies.
Here is the original recipe...
Joint 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 very well, dip yourfowlsin the batter and fry them in a first-class deal of pork shorteningwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of bronze incolour and lay them on your plate with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemon slices and a good gravy. In the present day, we have swapped out the hog fat with Rapeseed oil which has 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 food has went worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
