TheScottish immigrantsfrom 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 migrants from Scotland would often work, live and eat with the African Americans and this lead to the Africans adding some extra flavorings to the recipe andcreatingtheir own versionof crispy deep-fried chicken.
These Africans later went on to become thecooksin many a Southern American house where crispy fried chicken became a typical staple.
This is said to have come from a man named James Boswell who wrote ajournalin 1773 called “log of a Tour to the Hebrides”.
In his record he noted that at dinner the locals would eat fricassee of rooster which he went on to say “deep-fried chicken or something like that”.
What he actually heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not crispy fried chicken but you could say that where it was first named.They also discovered that it travelled well inhottemperatures in the times before refrigeration was prevalent so was consumed on almost a daily basis as they journeyed to the cotton fields to labor.
Since then it has become the region’s best choicefor just about any occasion.
The very true origins of crispy deep-fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known recipe for crispy deep-fried chicken in English is hidden away in one of the most well-known cookery books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse called The Art of cooking Made Plain and Easy.
Her food had a strange name known as “To Marinate Chickens” which was first in print in 1747. The book was a success in the United kingdom and more importantly in the American Colonies.
Here is the original mix...
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 2 eeg yolksa little melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together very well, dip yourchicken piecesin the batter and fry them in a good deal of pork lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of bronze incolour and set them on your bowl with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemon wedges and a superior gravy. Today, we have substituted 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 formula has walked worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
