TheScrotish migrantsfrom the southern states of Us had a custom of deep-frying chicken in lard and even further back they used to fry fritters in the middle ages.
The Scrotish migrants would often labor, live and dine with the indentured Africans and this lead to the Africans adding some more flavorings to the dish andgeneratingtheir own interpretationof deep-fried chicken.
These Africans later became thecaterersin many a Southern American household where deep-fried chicken became a frequent staple.
This is said to have come from a gentleman known as James Boswell who wrote alogin 1773 known as “diary of a Tour to the Hebrides”.
In his diary he noted that at an evening meal the local folks would eat fricassee of fowl 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 deep-fried chicken but you could say that where it was first named.They also discovered that it transported well inwarmweather conditions in the times before refrigeration was commonplace so was enjoyed on almost a daily basis as they travelled to the cotton fields to work.
Since, it has become the region’s preferred choicefor just about any occasion.
The very true origins of fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known formula for crispy fried chicken in English is stashed in one of the most prominent cooking books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse known as The Art of culinary Made Plain and Easy.
Her process had a strange name named “To Marinate Chickens” which was first in print in 1747. The book was a success in the UK and more importantly in the Usa Colonies.
Here is the original procedure...
Cut two chickens into pieces; 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 yolkssome 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 set them on your plate with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemon wedges and a fine gravy. These days, we have changed 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 process has journeyed worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
