TheScottish immigrantsfrom the southern states of Us had a tradition of deep-frying chicken pieces in fat and even prior to this they used to fry fritters in the middle ages.
The immigrants from Scotland would often labor, live and eat with the indentured Africans and this lead to the Africans adding some extra seasoning to the procedure andproducingtheir own presentationof fried chicken.
These Africans later went on to become thefood preparersin many a Southern American family where crispy deep-fried chicken became a common staple.
This is said to have come from a chap named James Boswell who wrote arecordin 1773 known as “log of a Tour to the Hebrides”.
In his diary he noted that at dinner the locals would eat fricassee of rooster which he went on to say “crispy fried chicken or something like that”.
What he in actuality heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not crispy deep-fried chicken but you could say that where it was first named.They also found that it transported well inwarmclimatic conditions before refrigeration was seen everyday so was enjoyed on almost every day basis as they walked to the cotton fields to labor.
Since then it has become the south's go-tofor just about any occasion.
The very true origins of deep-fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known food for crispy fried chicken in English is obscured in one of the most recognized cooking books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse named The Art of cookery Made Plain and Easy.
Her dish had a strange name called “To Marinate Chickens” which was first in print in 1747. The book was a hit in the UK and more importantly in the American Colonies.
Here is the original food...
Joint 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 very 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 a fine browncolour and set them on your plate with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemons and a first-class gravy. In the present day, we have replaced 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 process has walked worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
