TheScottish immigrantsfrom the southern states of America had a tradition of deep-frying chicken pieces in lard and even previously they used to fry fritters in the middle ages.
The immigrants from Scotland would often work, live and dine with the African slaves and this lead to the Africans adding some new spices to the process andbuildingtheir own presentationof Southern Fried Chicken.
These Africans later went on to become thechefsin many a Southern American household where crispy fried chicken became a ordinary staple.
This is said to have come from a male called James Boswell who wrote ajournalin 1773 called “journal of a Tour to the Hebrides”.
In his journal he noted that at an evening meal the local folks would eat fricassee of pullet which he went on to say “crispy fried chicken or something like that”.
What he in fact heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not deep-fried chicken but you could say that where it was first named.They also found that it travelled well inwarmconditions in the times before refrigeration was common so was eaten on almost an every day basis as they went to the cotton fields to work.
Since then it has become the region’s go-tofor just about any occasion.
The very true origins of crispy fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known formula for deep-fried chicken in English is obscured in one of the most famous 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 success in the UK and more importantly in the American Colonies.
Here is the original recipe...
Joint 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 the yolks of two eggsa little melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together well, dip yourfowlsin the batter and fry them in a excellent deal of pork shorteningwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of bronze incolour and arrange them on your plate with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemon wedges and a superior gravy. These days, we have replaced the hog fat with Rapeseed oil which has 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 journeyed worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
