TheScottish immigrantsfrom the southern states of Usa had a custom of deep-frying chicken pieces in fat and even further back they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The Scrotish migrants would often labor, live and dine with the indentured Africans and this lead to the Africans adding some additional spices to the process andproducingtheir own interpretationof fried chicken. These Africans later became thefood preparersin many a Southern American household where deep-fried chicken became a frequent staple. They also discovered that it transported well inhotweather conditions before refrigeration was common so was consumed on almost an every day basis as they journeyed to the cotton fields to work. Since, it has become the region’s go-tofor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a man called James Boswell who wrote ajournalin 1773 known as “journal of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his record he noted that at meals the local people would eat fricassee of chicken which he went on to say “crispy deep-fried chicken or something like that”. What he in actuality heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not crispy 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 dish for crispy deep-fried chicken in English is stashed in one of the most famed cookery books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse named The Art of culinary Made Plain and Easy. Her dish had a strange name known as “To Marinate Chickens” which was first available in 1747. The book was a hit in the UK and more importantly in the Usa Colonies.
Here is the original mix...
Joint 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 very well, dip yourchicken piecesin 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 light golden incolour and serve them on your dish with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with cut lemon and a fine gravy. Presently, we have exchanged 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 went worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
