Themigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of America had a tradition of deep frying poultry in fat and even further back they used to fry fritters in the middle ages.
The migrants from Scotland would often work, live and dine with the African Americans and this lead to the Africans adding some extra spices to the formula andgeneratingtheir own interpretationof crispy fried chicken.
These Africans later became thecaterersin many a Southern American home where crispy deep-fried chicken became a ordinary staple.
This is said to have come from a guy known as James Boswell who wrote arecordin 1773 called “log of a Tour to the Hebrides”.
In his record he noted that at mealtime the local people would eat fricassee of hen which he went on to say “crispy fried chicken or something like that”.
What he in reality heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not deep-fried chicken but you could say that where it was first named.They also observed that it travelled well inhotweather in the times before refrigeration was commonplace so was enjoyed on almost a daily basis as they travelled to the cotton fields to work.
Since, it has become the region’s preferred choicefor just about any occasion.
The very true origins of fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known dish for fried chicken in English is obscured in one of the most celebrated culinary books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse named The Art of cooking Made Plain and Easy.
Her formula 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 American Colonies.
Here is the original mix...
Cut two chickens into pieces; 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 yourchicken piecesin the batter and fry them in a first-rate deal of pork shorteningwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of golden incolour and set them on your platter with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemon wedges and a superior gravy. Today, we have changed the hog fat with Rapeseed oil which has 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 procedure has went worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
