Themigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of Usa had a tradition of deep-frying chicken in lard and even previously they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The migrants from Scotland would often work, live and dine with the African Americans and this lead to the Africans adding some extra spices to the mix andbuildingtheir own interpretationof crispy fried chicken. These Africans later evolved to be thechefsin many a Southern American family where deep-fried chicken became a typical staple. They also found that it journeyed well inwarmconditions before refrigeration was prevalent so was consumed on almost an every day basis as they journeyed to the cotton fields to labor. Since then it has become the south's preferred choicefor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a male known as James Boswell who wrote arecordin 1773 known as “diary of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his diary he noted that at an evening meal the local folks would eat fricassee of poultry which he went on to say “crispy 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.
The very true origins of deep-fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known recipe for fried chicken in English is hidden away in one of the most celebrated cooking books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse called The Art of culinary Made Plain and Easy. Her formula had a strange name known as “To Marinate Chickens” which was first released in 1747. The book was a success in the United kingdom and more importantly in the American Colonies.
Here is the original recipe...
Joint 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 2 eeg yolksa little melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together thoroughly, dip yourchicken piecesin the batter and fry them in a good quality 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 plate with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with cut lemon and a superior gravy. Now, 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 journeyed worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
