Theimmigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of America had a custom of deep frying poultry in lard and even before this they used to fry fritters in the middle ages.
The migrants from Scotland would often work, live and eat with the African Americans and this lead to the Africans adding some new seasonings to the food andmakingtheir own presentationof fried chicken.
These Africans later evolved to be thechefsin many a Southern American house where crispy fried chicken became a common staple.
This is said to have come from a male called James Boswell who wrote ajournalin 1773 called “record of a Tour to the Hebrides”.
In his diary he noted that at an evening meal the local folks would eat fricassee of hen which he went on to say “crispy deep-fried chicken or something like that”.
What he in actual fact heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not crispy deep-fried chicken but you could say that where it was first named.They also observed that it travelled well inwarmclimate before refrigeration was prevalent so was consumed on almost every day basis as they journeyed to the cotton fields to labor.
Since then it has become the southern state's most suitable choicefor just about any occasion.
The very true origins of crispy deep-fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known process for crispy fried chicken in English is obscured in one of the most prominent cookery books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse called The Art of culinary Made Plain and Easy.
Her food had a strange name known as “To Marinate Chickens” which was first in print in 1747. The book was a success in the England and more importantly in the US Colonies.
Here is the original mix...
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 the yolks of two eggssome melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together well, dip yourchicken piecesin the batter and fry them in a fine deal of pork shorteningwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of a fine browncolour and serve them on your bowl with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemon wedges and a first-rate gravy. These days, we have swapped out 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 food has journeyed worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
