Theimmigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of Usa had a custom of deep frying chicken in lard and even further back they used to fry fritters in the middle ages.
The migrants from Scotland would often labor, live and dine with the indentured Africans and this lead to the Africans adding some more seasonings to the dish andcreatingtheir own versionof crispy deep-fried chicken.
These Africans later went on to become thecooksin many a Southern American house where crispy fried chicken became a prevalent staple.
This is said to have come from a male called James Boswell who wrote adiaryin 1773 named “log of a Tour to the Hebrides”.
In his record he noted that at mealtime the local folks 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 fried chicken but you could say that where it was first named.They also found that it journeyed well inwarmclimatic conditions before refrigeration was everyday so was consumed on almost every day basis as they journeyed to the cotton fields to work.
Since then it has become the southern state's go-tofor just about any occasion.
The very true origins of crispy fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known recipe for crispy fried chicken in English is stashed in one of the most recognized cooking books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse called The Art of cooking Made Plain and Easy.
Her dish had a strange name known as “To Marinate Chickens” which was first available in 1747. The book was a hit in the United kingdom and more importantly in the American Colonies.
Here is the original dish...
Cut 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 2 eeg yolkssome melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together thoroughly, dip yourchicken piecesin the batter and fry them in a first-rate deal of hogs lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of golden incolour and lay them on your plate with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemons and a good quality gravy. Nowadays, 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 walked worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
