TheScrotish migrantsfrom 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 immigrants from Scotland would often labor, live and dine with the African Americans and this lead to the Africans adding some additional seasoning to the recipe andgeneratingtheir own versionof crispy fried chicken.
These Africans later evolved to be thecooksin many a Southern American household where deep-fried chicken became a universal staple.
This is said to have come from a gentleman known as James Boswell who wrote adiaryin 1773 known as “journal of a Tour to the Hebrides”.
In his log he noted that at mealtime the local folks would eat fricassee of rooster which he went on to say “crispy fried chicken or something like that”.
What he in reality heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not crispy deep-fried chicken but you could say that where it was first named.They also found that it transported well inhotclimatic conditions prior to refrigeration was seen everyday so was consumed on almost an every day basis as they went to the cotton fields to work.
Since then it has become the south's best choicefor just about any occasion.
The very true origins of crispy fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known dish for crispy deep-fried chicken in English is obscured in one of the most prominent culinary books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse called The Art of culinary Made Plain and Easy.
Her recipe had a strange name named “To Marinate Chickens” which was first in print in 1747. The book was a hit in the UK and more importantly in the Usa Colonies.
Here is the original mix...
Cut two chickens into quarters; marinate 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 thoroughly, dip yourchicken piecesin the batter and fry them in a first-class deal of hogs lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of light golden incolour and place them on your dish with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemons and a good quality gravy. Today, we have swapped out 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 process has travelled worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
