TheScrotish migrantsfrom the southern states of Usa had a custom of deep-frying chicken in fat and even before this they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The Scottish immigrants would often work, live and eat with the African slaves and this lead to the Africans adding some additional flavorings to the dish andproducingtheir own interpretationof crispy fried chicken. These Africans later evolved to be thecaterersin many a Southern American home where deep-fried chicken became a typical staple. They also discovered that it travelled well inhotclimatic conditions before refrigeration was prevalent so was consumed on almost an every day basis as they journeyed to the cotton fields to work. Since, it has become the southern state's most suitable choicefor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a male called James Boswell who wrote ajournalin 1773 known as “diary of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his log he noted that at an evening meal the local people would eat fricassee of hen which he went on to say “fried chicken or something like that”. What he in fact heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not deep-fried chicken but you could say that where it was first named.
The very true origins of crispy deep-fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known recipe for fried chicken in English is hidden away in one of the most eminent culinary books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse known as The Art of cookery Made Plain and Easy. Her process had a strange name named “To Marinate Chickens” which was first in print in 1747. The book was a success in the England and more importantly in the American Colonies.
Here is the original formula...
Joint 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 2 eeg yolkssome melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together thoroughly, dip yourfowlsin the batter and fry them in a good deal of pork shorteningwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of bronze incolour and serve them on your plate with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemon wedges and a excellent gravy. Today, we have swapped out the hog fat with Rapeseed oil which features 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.
