Theimmigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of Usa had a custom of deep-frying chicken pieces in fat and even previously they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The immigrants from Scotland would often labor, live and dine with the African Americans and this lead to the Africans adding some other seasonings to the food andbuildingtheir own presentationof deep-fried chicken. These Africans later went on to become thefood preparersin many a Southern American house where crispy deep-fried chicken became a frequent staple.
They also observed that it journeyed well inhotclimatic conditions in the times before refrigeration was commonplace so was eaten on almost an every day basis as they walked to the cotton fields to labor. Since then it has become the region’s preferred choicefor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a chap named James Boswell who wrote adiaryin 1773 known as “journal of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his journal he noted that at meals the local people would eat fricassee of chicken which he went on to say “deep-fried chicken or something like that”. What he in reality heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not crispy fried chicken but you could say that where it was first named.
The very true origins of crispy fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known procedure for crispy deep-fried chicken in English is hidden away in one of the most prominent cookery books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse called The Art of cooking Made Plain and Easy. Her procedure had a strange name called “To Marinate Chickens” which was first available in 1747. The book was a success in the United kingdom and more importantly in the American Colonies.
Here is the original recipe...
Cut two chickens into quarters; 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 2 eeg yolkssome melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together very well, dip yourchicken piecesin the batter and fry them in a good deal of hogs lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of bronze incolour and arrange them on your platter with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemon wedges and a excellent 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 mix has went worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
