TheScrotish migrantsfrom the southern states of Us had a custom of deep frying chicken pieces in lard and even prior to 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 supplementary seasoning to the dish andcreatingtheir own versionof crispy deep-fried chicken.
These Africans later evolved to be thecaterersin many a Southern American household where crispy deep-fried chicken became a frequent staple.
This is said to have come from a chap known as James Boswell who wrote alogin 1773 called “diary of a Tour to the Hebrides”.
In his journal he noted that at meals the local folks would eat fricassee of poultry which he went on to say “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.They also discovered that it journeyed well inhotweather conditions prior to refrigeration was commonplace so was consumed on almost an every day basis as they went to the cotton fields to labor.
Since then it has become the south's best choicefor just about any occasion.
The very true origins of crispy deep-fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known recipe for crispy fried chicken in English is hidden away in one of the most recognized culinary books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse known as The Art of cooking 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 success in the United kingdom and more importantly in the Usa Colonies.
Here is the original recipe...
Joint 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 the yolks of two eggssome melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together very well, dip yourfowlsin the batter and fry them in a good quality deal of pork shorteningwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of a fine browncolour and lay them on your platter with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemons and a good quality gravy. Presently, we have changed 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 travelled worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
