Themigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of America had a custom of deep-frying chicken pieces in fat and even previously they used to fry fritters in the middle ages.
The Scottish immigrants would often work, live and eat with the indentured Africans and this lead to the Africans adding some additional seasoning to the dish anddevelopingtheir own interpretationof deep-fried chicken.
These Africans later became thechefsin many a Southern American home where deep-fried chicken became a prevalent staple.
This is said to have come from a male known as James Boswell who wrote adiaryin 1773 called “log of a Tour to the Hebrides”.
In his record he noted that at dinner the local folks would eat fricassee of rooster which he went on to say “deep-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.They also observed that it journeyed well inwarmclimatic conditions prior to refrigeration was commonplace so was eaten on almost a daily basis as they walked to the cotton fields to labor.
Since, it has become the southern state's top choicefor just about any occasion.
The very true origins of crispy fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known mix for crispy fried chicken in English is obscured in one of the most eminent culinary books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse called The Art of cookery Made Plain and Easy.
Her food had a strange name called “To Marinate Chickens” which was first published in 1747. The book was a hit in the UK and more importantly in the US Colonies.
Here is the original process...
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 2 eeg yolksa little melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together thoroughly, dip yourchicken piecesin the batter and fry them in a high-quality deal of pork lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of light golden incolour and arrange them on your bowl with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemon wedges and a superior 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 dish has walked worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
