Theimmigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of America had a tradition of deep frying chicken pieces in fat and even further back they used to fry fritters in the middle ages.
The Scottish immigrants would often labor, live and eat with the indentured Africans and this lead to the Africans adding some supplementary spices to the process andbuildingtheir own interpretationof fried chicken.
These Africans later evolved to be thechefsin many a Southern American home where fried chicken became a typical staple.
This is said to have come from a chap named James Boswell who wrote adiaryin 1773 known as “record of a Tour to the Hebrides”.
In his diary he noted that at mealtime the local folks would eat fricassee of chicken 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 crispy fried chicken but you could say that where it was first named.They also learned that it journeyed well inhottemperatures before refrigeration was common so was eaten on almost every day basis as they walked to the cotton fields to work.
Since, it has become the southern state's best optionfor 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 obscured in one of the most prominent culinary books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse called The Art of cooking Made Plain and Easy.
Her process had a strange name known as “To Marinate Chickens” which was first published in 1747. The book was a hit in the UK and more importantly in the American Colonies.
Here is the original food...
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 2 eeg yolkssome melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together very well, dip yourchicken piecesin the batter and fry them in a superior 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 cut lemon and a good gravy. Today, we have exchanged 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 process has journeyed worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
