Themigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of America had a tradition of deep frying chicken pieces in lard and even previously they used to fry fritters in the middle ages.
The Scottish immigrants would often labor, live and dine with the indentured Africans and this lead to the Africans adding some more flavorings to the formula andmakingtheir own versionof deep-fried chicken.
These Africans later became thefood preparersin many a Southern American home where crispy deep-fried chicken became a frequent staple.
This is said to have come from a male named James Boswell who wrote ajournalin 1773 named “journal of a Tour to the Hebrides”.
In his record he noted that at an evening meal the locals would eat fricassee of pullet which he went on to say “crispy deep-fried chicken or something like that”.
What he really heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not deep-fried chicken but you could say that where it was first named.They also learned that it journeyed well inwarmweather conditions before refrigeration was seen everyday so was consumed on almost every day basis as they walked to the cotton fields to work.
Since then it has become the south's preferred choicefor just about any occasion.
The very true origins of crispy deep-fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known dish for deep-fried chicken in English is hidden away in one of the most eminent cooking books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse known as The Art of cooking Made Plain and Easy.
Her formula had a strange name known as “To Marinate Chickens” which was first released in 1747. The book was a hit in the United kingdom and more importantly in the US Colonies.
Here is the original mix...
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 eggssome melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together very well, dip yourchicken piecesin the batter and fry them in a excellent 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 bowl with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with cut lemon and a first-class gravy. These days, we have swapped out 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.
