Theimmigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of Usa had a custom of deep frying poultry in lard and even before this they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The migrants from Scotland would often work, live and eat with the African Americans and this lead to the Africans adding some new seasonings to the dish andproducingtheir own versionof crispy fried chicken. These Africans later became thefood preparersin many a Southern American house where fried chicken became a frequent staple. They also observed that it lasted well well inwarmtemperatures prior to refrigeration was prevalent so was consumed on almost a daily basis as they journeyed to the cotton fields to labor. Since, it has become the region’s preferred choicefor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a gentleman called James Boswell who wrote ajournalin 1773 named “record of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his diary he noted that at dinner the locals would eat fricassee of poultry which he went on to say “deep-fried chicken or something like that”. What he in actual fact 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 mix for crispy fried chicken in English is stashed in one of the most notable cooking books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse named The Art of cooking Made Plain and Easy. Her mix had a strange name named “To Marinate Chickens” which was first released in 1747. The book was a success in the United kingdom and more importantly in the US Colonies.
Here is the original mix...
Joint two chickens into pieces; 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 yourfowlsin the batter and fry them in a excellent deal of pork lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of bronze incolour and arrange them on your platter with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemons and a high-quality gravy. Now, we have swapped out 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 dish has travelled worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
