Themigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of America had a custom of deep-frying chicken pieces in fat and even before this they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The Scrotish migrants would often work, live and eat with the African slaves and this lead to the Africans adding some supplementary flavorings to the recipe andmakingtheir own versionof crispy deep-fried chicken. These Africans later went on to become thecooksin many a Southern American house where fried chicken became a frequent staple. They also observed that it transported well inhotweather prior to refrigeration was common so was eaten on almost every day basis as they journeyed to the cotton fields to work. Since then it has become the south's go-tofor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a male named James Boswell who wrote ajournalin 1773 known as “journal of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his record he noted that at meals the locals would eat fricassee of pullet which he went on to say “crispy fried chicken or something like that”. What he really heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not crispy fried chicken but you could say that where it was first named.
The very true origins of crispy fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known recipe for crispy deep-fried chicken in English is stashed in one of the most famous cooking books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse known as The Art of culinary Made Plain and Easy. Her food had a strange name known as “To Marinate Chickens” which was first published in 1747. The book was a hit in the United kingdom and more importantly in the Usa Colonies.
Here is the original mix...
Cut two chickens into quarters; 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 very well, dip yourchicken piecesin the batter and fry them in a superior deal of pork shorteningwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of golden incolour and lay them on your plate with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemon wedges and a excellent gravy. Now, 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 procedure has travelled worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
