TheScrotish migrantsfrom the southern states of Usa had a tradition of deep-frying chicken pieces in fat and even further back they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The migrants from Scotland would often labor, live and dine with the African Americans and this lead to the Africans adding some more spices to the procedure andmakingtheir own versionof fried chicken. These Africans later became thechefsin many a Southern American home where crispy fried chicken became a regular staple. They also discovered that it travelled well inwarmweather prior to refrigeration was seen everyday so was eaten on almost an every day basis as they walked to the cotton fields to labor. Since then it has become the south's best optionfor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a man named James Boswell who wrote alogin 1773 called “log of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his record he noted that at mealtime the locals would eat fricassee of chicken which he went on to say “deep-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 formula for crispy deep-fried chicken in English is stashed in one of the most well-known cooking books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse named The Art of culinary Made Plain and Easy. Her process had a strange name named “To Marinate Chickens” which was first available in 1747. The book was a hit in the England and more importantly in the Usa Colonies.
Here is the original formula...
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 2 eeg yolkssome melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together very well, dip yourchicken piecesin the batter and fry them in a fine deal of hogs lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of bronze incolour and serve them on your bowl with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemon wedges and a first-class gravy. Today, 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 procedure has travelled worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
