Theimmigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of America had a custom of deep-frying chicken pieces in fat and even further back they used to fry fritters in the middle ages.
The migrants from Scotland would often work, live and eat with the indentured Africans and this lead to the Africans adding some new seasonings to the dish andbuildingtheir own versionof crispy deep-fried chicken.
These Africans later evolved to be thechefsin many a Southern American house where deep-fried chicken became a frequent 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 journal he noted that at meals the local folks would eat fricassee of fowl which he went on to say “crispy fried chicken or something like that”.
What he actually 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 transported well inhotweather conditions in the times before refrigeration was commonplace so was consumed on almost every day basis as they went to the cotton fields to labor.
Since, it has become the south's preferred choicefor just about any occasion.
The very true origins of crispy fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known process for crispy fried chicken in English is hidden away in one of the most eminent cookery books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse known as The Art of cookery Made Plain and Easy.
Her formula had a strange name named “To Marinate Chickens” which was first in print in 1747. The book was a success in the UK and more importantly in the Usa Colonies.
Here is the original formula...
Joint two chickens into pieces; 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 yolkssome melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together very well, dip yourchicken piecesin the batter and fry them in a fine deal of pork shorteningwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of a fine browncolour and arrange them on your dish with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemon wedges and a good gravy. Presently, we have exchanged 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 travelled worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
