Theimmigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of Us had a custom of deep-frying chicken in fat and even before this they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The Scottish immigrants would often labor, live and dine with the African Americans and this lead to the Africans adding some supplementary spices to the process andcreatingtheir own presentationof deep-fried chicken. These Africans later went on to become thefood preparersin many a Southern American family where fried chicken became a common staple.
They also discovered that it transported well inwarmconditions in the times before refrigeration was prevalent so was enjoyed on almost an every day basis as they journeyed to the cotton fields to labor. Since, it has become the south's best optionfor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a man named James Boswell who wrote arecordin 1773 named “diary of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his log he noted that at mealtime the locals would eat fricassee of poultry which he went on to say “fried chicken or something like that”. What he really heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not deep-fried chicken but you could say that where it was first named.
The very true origins of crispy deep-fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known formula for deep-fried chicken in English is stashed in one of the most notable cooking books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse named The Art of cooking Made Plain and Easy. Her dish had a strange name called “To Marinate Chickens” which was first available in 1747. The book was a hit in the England and more importantly in the US Colonies.
Here is the original formula...
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 yolksa little melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together well, dip yourfowlsin the batter and fry them in a first-rate deal of pork lardwhich 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 lemon slices and a superior gravy. Today, 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 went worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
