TheScottish immigrantsfrom the southern states of America had a custom of deep frying chicken pieces in lard and even further back they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The migrants from Scotland would often labor, live and eat with the African Americans and this lead to the Africans adding some additional flavorings to the procedure andcreatingtheir own interpretationof crispy fried chicken. These Africans later evolved to be thechefsin many a Southern American house where deep-fried chicken became a universal staple.
They also discovered that it journeyed well inwarmweather conditions prior to refrigeration was seen everyday so was enjoyed on almost an every day basis as they travelled 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 man known as James Boswell who wrote adiaryin 1773 named “journal 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 “deep-fried chicken or something like that”. What he in fact heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not crispy 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 obscured in one of the most famed cookery books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse called The Art of cookery Made Plain and Easy. Her mix had a strange name called “To Marinate Chickens” which was first published in 1747. The book was a hit in the England and more importantly in the Usa Colonies.
Here is the original process...
Cut two chickens into pieces; 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 superior deal of hogs lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of a fine browncolour and place them on your dish with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemon wedges and a fine gravy. These days, we have changed 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 formula has journeyed worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
