Themigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of Usa had a custom of deep-frying chicken in fat and even prior to this they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The migrants from Scotland would often labor, live and dine with the African slaves and this lead to the Africans adding some supplementary flavorings to the food andgeneratingtheir own interpretationof crispy deep-fried chicken. These Africans later went on to become thefood preparersin many a Southern American family where crispy deep-fried chicken became a universal staple.
They also found out that it lasted well well inwarmclimatic conditions prior to refrigeration was everyday so was consumed on almost a daily basis as they walked to the cotton fields to labor. Since then it has become the southern state's go-tofor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a man known as James Boswell who wrote alogin 1773 named “journal of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his diary he noted that at an evening meal the local folks would eat fricassee of fowl which he went on to say “fried chicken or something like that”. What he in actuality heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not 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 mix for deep-fried chicken in English is hidden away in one of the most notable cooking books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse known as The Art of culinary Made Plain and Easy. Her formula had a strange name named “To Marinate Chickens” which was first published in 1747. The book was a hit in the England and more importantly in the Usa Colonies.
Here is the original food...
Joint two chickens into pieces; 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 eggsa little melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together well, dip yourfowlsin the batter and fry them in a fine 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 lemon slices and a good gravy. In the present day, we have swapped out 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 went worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
