TheScottish immigrantsfrom the southern states of America had a custom of deep frying chicken pieces in fat and even prior to this they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The Scottish immigrants would often work, live and dine with the African slaves and this lead to the Africans adding some other flavorings to the procedure andbuildingtheir own interpretationof deep-fried chicken. These Africans later went on to become thecooksin many a Southern American home where crispy deep-fried chicken became a regular staple. They also found out that it journeyed well inhotweather in the times before refrigeration was everyday so was eaten on almost an every day basis as they went to the cotton fields to work. Since, it has become the region’s preferred choicefor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a chap known as James Boswell who wrote alogin 1773 known as “diary of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his diary he noted that at mealtime the local people would eat fricassee of capon which he went on to say “crispy deep-fried chicken or something like that”. What he in reality 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 procedure for fried chicken in English is hidden away in one of the most famed cookery books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse named The Art of cookery 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 hit in the UK and more importantly in the Usa Colonies.
Here is the original process...
Cut 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 yolkssome melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together thoroughly, dip yourchicken piecesin the batter and fry them in a first-rate deal of hogs lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of a fine browncolour and set them on your platter with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemons and a good gravy. Nowadays, we have changed 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 food has went worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
