Theimmigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of Usa had a tradition of deep frying poultry in lard and even before this they used to fry fritters in the middle ages.
The immigrants from Scotland would often work, live and eat with the indentured Africans and this lead to the Africans adding some supplementary seasoning to the recipe andcreatingtheir own presentationof deep-fried chicken.
These Africans later became thecooksin many a Southern American household where fried chicken became a frequent staple.
This is said to have come from a guy known as James Boswell who wrote alogin 1773 called “log of a Tour to the Hebrides”.
In his diary he noted that at mealtime the local people would eat fricassee of rooster which he went on to say “crispy deep-fried chicken or something like that”.
What he in actuality heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not crispy 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 everyday so was enjoyed on almost every day basis as they walked to the cotton fields to labor.
Since, it has become the southern state's best optionfor just about any occasion.
The very true origins of fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known recipe for crispy fried chicken in English is stashed in one of the most famous culinary books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse named The Art of cookery Made Plain and Easy.
Her formula had a strange name named “To Marinate Chickens” which was first available in 1747. The book was a success in the England and more importantly in the US Colonies.
Here is the original process...
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 yolkssome melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together well, dip yourfowlsin the batter and fry them in a first-class deal of hogs lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of light golden incolour and set them on your bowl with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemon slices and a fine gravy. These days, we have replaced 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 recipe has travelled worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
