Themigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of Us had a custom of deep frying poultry in lard and even previously they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The Scottish immigrants would often labor, live and dine with the indentured Africans and this lead to the Africans adding some additional seasoning to the recipe andgeneratingtheir own interpretationof deep-fried chicken. These Africans later became thefood preparersin many a Southern American household where crispy deep-fried chicken became a frequent staple. They also observed that it transported well inhotclimate before refrigeration was everyday so was eaten on almost every day basis as they walked to the cotton fields to work. Since then it has become the region’s most suitable choicefor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a man known as James Boswell who wrote arecordin 1773 called “diary of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his log he noted that at meals the local people would eat fricassee of fowl which he went on to say “crispy deep-fried chicken or something like that”. What he in actual fact heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not deep-fried chicken but you could say that where it was first named.
The very true origins of fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known formula for fried chicken in English is obscured in one of the most well-known culinary books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse called The Art of cookery Made Plain and Easy. Her food had a strange name known as “To Marinate Chickens” which was first published in 1747. The book was a success in the England and more importantly in the US Colonies.
Here is the original formula...
Cut two chickens into quarters; 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 thoroughly, dip yourchicken piecesin the batter and fry them in a high-quality deal of pork lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of light golden incolour and set them on your platter with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with cut lemon and a superior gravy. Now, we have substituted 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 food has journeyed worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
