TheScrotish migrantsfrom the southern states of Us had a tradition of deep frying chicken pieces in fat and even further back they used to fry fritters in the middle ages.
The immigrants from Scotland would often work, live and eat with the African Americans and this lead to the Africans adding some extra seasoning to the mix andgeneratingtheir own presentationof crispy deep-fried chicken.
These Africans later became thechefsin many a Southern American home where fried chicken became a ordinary staple.
This is said to have come from a man called James Boswell who wrote adiaryin 1773 known as “record of a Tour to the Hebrides”.
In his diary he noted that at dinner the local folks would eat fricassee of poultry 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 discovered that it lasted well well inwarmclimatic conditions before refrigeration was prevalent so was eaten on almost a daily basis as they walked to the cotton fields to labor.
Since then it has become the southern state's most suitable choicefor just about any occasion.
The very true origins of crispy deep-fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known dish for fried chicken in English is obscured in one of the most notable cookery books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse named The Art of culinary Made Plain and Easy.
Her formula had a strange name called “To Marinate Chickens” which was first released in 1747. The book was a success in the England and more importantly in the American Colonies.
Here is the original procedure...
Cut 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 the yolks of two eggssome melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together thoroughly, dip yourchicken piecesin the batter and fry them in a superior deal of hogs lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of bronze incolour and set them on your dish with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with cut lemon and a high-quality gravy. Now, we have replaced the hog fat with Rapeseed oil which contains 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 travelled worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
