Theimmigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of Usa had a custom of deep frying chicken pieces in lard and even further back 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 supplementary spices to the process andcreatingtheir own versionof fried chicken.
These Africans later went on to become thecaterersin many a Southern American home where deep-fried chicken became a prevalent staple.
This is said to have come from a chap known as James Boswell who wrote ajournalin 1773 called “journal of a Tour to the Hebrides”.
In his record he noted that at an evening meal the local folks would eat fricassee of capon which he went on to say “fried chicken or something like that”.
What he actually 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 inwarmweather prior to refrigeration was everyday so was enjoyed on almost every day basis as they walked to the cotton fields to labor.
Since, it has become the southern state's best choicefor just about any occasion.
The very true origins of deep-fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known formula for crispy fried chicken in English is stashed in one of the most notable cookery books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse called The Art of cooking Made Plain and Easy.
Her recipe had a strange name called “To Marinate Chickens” which was first published in 1747. The book was a hit in the UK and more importantly in the US Colonies.
Here is the original food...
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 2 eeg yolkssome melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together very well, dip yourfowlsin the batter and fry them in a good deal of hogs lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of golden incolour and set them on your bowl with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemons 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 process has went worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
