TheScrotish migrantsfrom the southern states of Us had a custom of deep frying chicken pieces in lard and even before this they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The Scrotish migrants would often work, live and eat with the indentured Africans and this lead to the Africans adding some more seasonings to the food andgeneratingtheir own versionof crispy deep-fried chicken. These Africans later went on to become thechefsin many a Southern American home where crispy deep-fried chicken became a universal staple.
They also discovered that it travelled well inwarmweather in the times before refrigeration was prevalent so was enjoyed on almost an every day basis as they travelled to the cotton fields to work. Since, it has become the southern state's most suitable choicefor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a guy named James Boswell who wrote arecordin 1773 known as “record of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his log he noted that at meals the local people would eat fricassee of rooster 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 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 process for crispy fried chicken in English is stashed in one of the most prominent cookery books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse named The Art of cooking Made Plain and Easy. Her process had a strange name known as “To Marinate Chickens” which was first released in 1747. The book was a hit in the United kingdom and more importantly in the US Colonies.
Here is the original mix...
Joint two chickens into quarters; lay 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 thoroughly, dip yourfowlsin the batter and fry them in a high-quality deal of pork lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of golden incolour and arrange them on your plate with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemon wedges and a excellent gravy. In the present day, 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 went worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
