TheScrotish migrantsfrom the southern states of Usa had a tradition of deep-frying poultry in fat and even before this they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The Scottish immigrants would often labor, live and dine with the African slaves and this lead to the Africans adding some supplementary spices to the food anddevelopingtheir own interpretationof deep-fried chicken. These Africans later became thecooksin many a Southern American house where crispy deep-fried chicken became a regular staple. They also learned that it lasted well well inhotclimatic conditions in the times before refrigeration was prevalent so was enjoyed on almost an every day basis as they journeyed to the cotton fields to labor. Since then it has become the region’s most suitable choicefor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a guy named James Boswell who wrote alogin 1773 known as “record of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his record he noted that at meals the local folks would eat fricassee of rooster which he went on to say “deep-fried chicken or something like that”. What he really 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 deep-fried chicken in English is obscured in one of the most prominent cooking books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse called The Art of cooking Made Plain and Easy. Her process had a strange name named “To Marinate Chickens” which was first available in 1747. The book was a hit in the United kingdom and more importantly in the US Colonies.
Here is the original mix...
Cut 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 the yolks of two eggssome melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together thoroughly, dip yourfowlsin the batter and fry them in a superior deal of pork shorteningwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of bronze incolour and place them on your plate with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemons and a good gravy. These days, we have exchanged the hog fat with Rapeseed oil which contains 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 procedure has travelled worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
