Themigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of America had a tradition of deep frying poultry in lard and even further back they used to fry fritters in the middle ages.
The immigrants from Scotland would often labor, live and dine with the indentured Africans and this lead to the Africans adding some additional spices to the procedure andmakingtheir own interpretationof crispy fried chicken.
These Africans later went on to become thecooksin many a Southern American house where fried chicken became a common staple.
This is said to have come from a gentleman called James Boswell who wrote adiaryin 1773 known as “log of a Tour to the Hebrides”.
In his record he noted that at meals the local people would eat fricassee of capon which he went on to say “crispy deep-fried chicken or something like that”.
What he in reality heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not crispy fried chicken but you could say that where it was first named.They also learned that it lasted well well inhotclimatic conditions before refrigeration was commonplace so was eaten on almost an every day basis as they journeyed to the cotton fields to work.
Since, it has become the region’s best optionfor just about any occasion.
The very true origins of crispy fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known process for crispy fried chicken in English is hidden away in one of the most recognized cooking books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse known as The Art of culinary Made Plain and Easy.
Her dish had a strange name named “To Marinate Chickens” which was first in print in 1747. The book was a success in the UK and more importantly in the US Colonies.
Here is the original formula...
Cut two chickens into quarters; marinate 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 well, dip yourfowlsin the batter and fry them in a first-class deal of hogs lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of a fine browncolour and lay them on your platter with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with cut lemon and a superior gravy. In the present day, we have swapped out 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 food has travelled worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
