Theimmigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of Usa 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 African slaves and this lead to the Africans adding some new flavorings to the mix andmakingtheir own versionof crispy deep-fried chicken. These Africans later went on to become thefood preparersin many a Southern American home where crispy fried chicken became a universal staple.
They also observed that it travelled well inwarmweather conditions in the times before refrigeration was seen everyday so was eaten on almost every day basis as they went to the cotton fields to labor. Since then it has become the region’s best optionfor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a fellow named James Boswell who wrote ajournalin 1773 known as “journal of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his journal he noted that at mealtime the locals would eat fricassee of rooster which he went on to say “crispy fried chicken or something like that”. What he in actuality heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not fried chicken but you could say that where it was first named.
The very true origins of 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 famed cookery books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse called The Art of culinary Made Plain and Easy. Her procedure had a strange name known as “To Marinate Chickens” which was first released 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; 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 yourchicken piecesin the batter and fry them in a high-quality deal of hogs lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of bronze incolour and lay them on your platter with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemons and a superior gravy. Now, we have changed 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 dish has travelled worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
