Theimmigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of Us had a tradition of deep-frying chicken in lard and even previously they used to fry fritters in the middle ages.
The migrants from Scotland would often work, live and eat with the African Americans and this lead to the Africans adding some new spices to the procedure andgeneratingtheir own versionof fried chicken.
These Africans later went on to become thechefsin many a Southern American household where crispy deep-fried chicken became a prevalent staple.
This is said to have come from a gentleman named James Boswell who wrote alogin 1773 called “journal of a Tour to the Hebrides”.
In his journal he noted that at meals the local folks would eat fricassee of fowl which he went on to say “crispy deep-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.They also learned that it transported well inhotconditions prior to refrigeration was prevalent so was eaten on almost a daily basis as they went to the cotton fields to work.
Since, it has become the region’s best choicefor just about any occasion.
The very true origins of crispy fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known food for deep-fried chicken in English is hidden away in one of the most recognized cookery books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse called The Art of culinary Made Plain and Easy.
Her recipe had a strange name known as “To Marinate Chickens” which was first in print in 1747. The book was a hit in the UK and more importantly in the US Colonies.
Here is the original dish...
Cut two chickens into pieces; 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 eggsa little melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together thoroughly, dip yourchicken piecesin 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 light golden incolour and place them on your bowl with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemons and a first-class gravy. Presently, we have exchanged the hog fat with Rapeseed oil which has 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.
