Theimmigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of America had a custom of deep-frying chicken pieces in fat and even prior to this they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The Scottish immigrants would often work, live and eat with the African Americans and this lead to the Africans adding some additional seasoning to the formula andbuildingtheir own interpretationof deep-fried chicken. These Africans later became thecaterersin many a Southern American household where fried chicken became a ordinary staple.
They also found out that it lasted well well inwarmtemperatures before refrigeration was commonplace so was enjoyed on almost a daily basis as they journeyed to the cotton fields to labor. Since, it has become the southern state's best optionfor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a fellow named James Boswell who wrote ajournalin 1773 called “journal of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his log he noted that at mealtime the local people would eat fricassee of rooster which he went on to say “fried chicken or something like that”. What he really heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not crispy deep-fried chicken but you could say that where it was first named.
The very true origins of deep-fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known dish for crispy fried chicken in English is stashed in one of the most renowned culinary books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse named The Art of cooking Made Plain and Easy. Her dish had a strange name named “To Marinate Chickens” which was first released in 1747. The book was a success in the England and more importantly in the US Colonies.
Here is the original dish...
Cut two chickens into pieces; 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 thoroughly, dip yourfowlsin the batter and fry them in a high-quality deal of pork lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of golden incolour and arrange them on your plate with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemon wedges and a superior gravy. Presently, we have changed the hog fat with Rapeseed oil which contains 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 went worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
