TheScrotish migrantsfrom the southern states of America had a custom of deep-frying chicken in fat and even prior to this they used to fry fritters in the middle ages.
The immigrants from Scotland would often labor, live and eat with the indentured Africans and this lead to the Africans adding some supplementary seasonings to the recipe andproducingtheir own versionof crispy fried chicken.
These Africans later became thecooksin many a Southern American house where deep-fried chicken became a common staple.
This is said to have come from a chap called James Boswell who wrote arecordin 1773 known as “diary 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 fried chicken or something like that”.
What he in fact heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not fried chicken but you could say that where it was first named.They also discovered that it travelled well inhottemperatures before refrigeration was seen everyday so was enjoyed on almost a daily basis as they walked to the cotton fields to work.
Since, it has become the south's most suitable choicefor just about any occasion.
The very true origins of fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known food for crispy deep-fried chicken in English is stashed in one of the most notable culinary books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse named The Art of culinary Made Plain and Easy.
Her dish had a strange name named “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 recipe...
Cut two chickens into quarters; 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 2 eeg yolksa little melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together very well, dip yourchicken piecesin the batter and fry them in a excellent deal of pork lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of light golden incolour and set them on your plate with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemon slices and a first-class gravy. Nowadays, we have substituted 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 formula has travelled worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
