Theimmigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of Us had a tradition of deep frying chicken 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 African Americans and this lead to the Africans adding some other spices to the formula andmakingtheir own versionof crispy fried chicken. These Africans later became thefood preparersin many a Southern American house where crispy fried chicken became a universal staple. They also discovered that it transported well inwarmweather prior to refrigeration was seen everyday so was consumed on almost an every day basis as they walked to the cotton fields to labor. Since, it has become the southern state's preferred choicefor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a guy called James Boswell who wrote alogin 1773 named “record of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his log he noted that at mealtime the local people would eat fricassee of rooster which he went on to say “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.
The very true origins of crispy deep-fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known process for fried chicken in English is obscured in one of the most renowned cookery books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse called The Art of cookery Made Plain and Easy. Her food had a strange name known as “To Marinate Chickens” which was first available in 1747. The book was a success in the UK and more importantly in the American Colonies.
Here is the original process...
Cut 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 the yolks of two eggsa little melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together very well, dip yourfowlsin the batter and fry them in a superior deal of pork lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of golden incolour and set them on your platter with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemon slices and a superior gravy. Presently, 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 went worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
