Theimmigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of Usa had a tradition of deep-frying poultry in fat and even previously they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The Scrotish migrants would often labor, live and eat with the indentured Africans and this lead to the Africans adding some extra flavorings to the food andcreatingtheir own interpretationof deep-fried chicken. These Africans later became thecaterersin many a Southern American house where crispy fried chicken became a ordinary staple. They also found that it transported well inhotconditions before refrigeration was commonplace so was enjoyed on almost a daily basis as they travelled to the cotton fields to work. Since then it has become the region’s go-tofor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a guy called James Boswell who wrote alogin 1773 called “journal of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his diary he noted that at an evening meal the local folks would eat fricassee of chicken which he went on to say “deep-fried chicken or something like that”. What he actually 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 food for fried chicken in English is obscured in one of the most recognized cooking books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse named The Art of cookery Made Plain and Easy. Her process had a strange name known as “To Marinate Chickens” which was first published in 1747. The book was a hit in the United kingdom and more importantly in the American Colonies.
Here is the original recipe...
Joint 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 yolksa little melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together well, dip yourfowlsin the batter and fry them in a first-class deal of pork shorteningwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of golden incolour and place them on your dish with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemons and a excellent gravy. Now, we have exchanged 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 went worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
