TheScrotish migrantsfrom the southern states of Usa had a tradition of deep frying chicken pieces in fat and even previously they used to fry fritters in the middle ages.
The Scrotish migrants would often work, live and eat with the African Americans and this lead to the Africans adding some other seasonings to the process anddevelopingtheir own versionof deep-fried chicken.
These Africans later went on to become thechefsin many a Southern American house where crispy fried chicken became a typical staple.
This is said to have come from a fellow named James Boswell who wrote arecordin 1773 named “diary of a Tour to the Hebrides”.
In his journal he noted that at meals the local folks would eat fricassee of pullet which he went on to say “crispy fried chicken or something like that”.
What he in reality heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not crispy deep-fried chicken but you could say that where it was first named.They also learned that it lasted well well inhottemperatures before refrigeration was common so was eaten on almost an every day basis as they went to the cotton fields to labor.
Since then it has become the region’s most suitable choicefor just about any occasion.
The very true origins of crispy fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known procedure for fried chicken in English is hidden away in one of the most celebrated cooking books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse called The Art of cookery Made Plain and Easy.
Her process had a strange name known as “To Marinate Chickens” which was first published in 1747. The book was a hit in the England and more importantly in the American Colonies.
Here is the original process...
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 light golden incolour and lay them on your plate with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemon slices and a good quality gravy. These days, 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 journeyed worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
