TheScrotish migrantsfrom the southern states of America had a tradition of deep frying poultry in lard and even prior to this they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The Scrotish migrants would often labor, live and eat with the African slaves and this lead to the Africans adding some new flavorings to the procedure andbuildingtheir own presentationof fried chicken. These Africans later became thefood preparersin many a Southern American home where fried chicken became a universal staple. They also found that it lasted well well inhotweather prior to refrigeration was commonplace so was consumed on almost every day basis as they journeyed to the cotton fields to work. Since then it has become the south's most suitable choicefor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a fellow named James Boswell who wrote alogin 1773 known as “record of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his record he noted that at mealtime the local folks would eat fricassee of chicken which he went on to say “crispy fried chicken or something like that”. What he really 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 procedure for crispy deep-fried chicken in English is stashed in one of the most notable culinary books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse called The Art of culinary Made Plain and Easy. Her procedure had a strange name known as “To Marinate Chickens” which was first in print in 1747. The book was a hit in the United kingdom and more importantly in the US Colonies.
Here is the original procedure...
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 fine deal of pork lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of light golden incolour and lay them on your platter with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemon slices and a good gravy. In the present day, we have substituted 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 travelled worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
