Themigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of Usa had a custom of deep-frying chicken pieces in lard 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 slaves and this lead to the Africans adding some additional seasonings to the food andmakingtheir own interpretationof deep-fried chicken.
These Africans later evolved to be thefood preparersin many a Southern American family where crispy deep-fried chicken became a typical staple.
This is said to have come from a chap named James Boswell who wrote alogin 1773 named “log of a Tour to the Hebrides”.
In his record he noted that at dinner the locals would eat fricassee of capon which he went on to say “crispy deep-fried chicken or something like that”.
What he in fact heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not fried chicken but you could say that where it was first named.They also learned that it lasted well well inhotweather in the times before refrigeration was common so was enjoyed on almost every day basis as they walked to the cotton fields to work.
Since, it has become the south's most suitable choicefor just about any occasion.
The very true origins of crispy fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known process for deep-fried chicken in English is stashed in one of the most famous culinary books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse known as The Art of cookery Made Plain and Easy.
Her dish had a strange name known as “To Marinate Chickens” which was first released in 1747. The book was a success in the England and more importantly in the Usa Colonies.
Here is the original food...
Joint two chickens into quarters; 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 very well, dip yourfowlsin the batter and fry them in a high-quality deal of hogs lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of golden incolour and lay them on your dish with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemon wedges and a superior gravy. Nowadays, we have substituted 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 travelled worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
