Theimmigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of America had a custom of deep-frying chicken in lard and even previously they used to fry fritters in the middle ages.
The immigrants from Scotland would often work, live and dine with the African slaves and this lead to the Africans adding some other seasonings to the procedure anddevelopingtheir own versionof crispy fried chicken.
These Africans later became thecaterersin many a Southern American house where crispy deep-fried chicken became a regular staple.
This is said to have come from a man called James Boswell who wrote alogin 1773 named “log of a Tour to the Hebrides”.
In his record he noted that at meals the local people would eat fricassee of fowl which he went on to say “deep-fried chicken or something like that”.
What he actually 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 lasted well well inwarmconditions in the times before refrigeration was seen everyday so was consumed on almost an every day basis as they journeyed to the cotton fields to labor.
Since then it has become the southern state's best choicefor just about any occasion.
The very true origins of crispy fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known process for deep-fried chicken in English is obscured in one of the most recognized culinary books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse named The Art of cookery Made Plain and Easy.
Her procedure had a strange name known as “To Marinate Chickens” which was first available in 1747. The book was a hit in the UK and more importantly in the Usa Colonies.
Here is the original procedure...
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 the yolks of two eggssome 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 a fine browncolour and arrange them on your plate with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemons and a superior gravy. In the present day, we have replaced 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 formula has walked worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
