TheScrotish migrantsfrom the southern states of Us had a tradition of deep-frying poultry in lard 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 African Americans and this lead to the Africans adding some supplementary seasoning to the food andgeneratingtheir own presentationof deep-fried chicken.
These Africans later became thecaterersin many a Southern American house where fried chicken became a common staple.
This is said to have come from a fellow called James Boswell who wrote ajournalin 1773 named “diary of a Tour to the Hebrides”.
In his diary he noted that at dinner the locals would eat fricassee of poultry which he went on to say “crispy deep-fried chicken or something like that”.
What he in reality heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not crispy fried chicken but you could say that where it was first named.They also learned that it lasted well well inhotweather conditions prior to refrigeration was everyday so was consumed on almost every day basis as they travelled to the cotton fields to labor.
Since then it has become the region’s top choicefor just about any occasion.
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 stashed in one of the most recognized culinary books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse called The Art of culinary Made Plain and Easy.
Her mix had a strange name named “To Marinate Chickens” which was first released in 1747. The book was a hit in the UK and more importantly in the American Colonies.
Here is the original recipe...
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 the yolks of two eggsa little melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together thoroughly, dip yourfowlsin the batter and fry them in a high-quality deal of hogs lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of light golden incolour and set them on your plate with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemons and a good gravy. Now, 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 dish has went worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
