TheScrotish migrantsfrom the southern states of Us had a custom of deep frying chicken pieces in lard and even prior to this they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The migrants from Scotland would often work, live and dine with the indentured Africans and this lead to the Africans adding some additional spices to the recipe anddevelopingtheir own versionof deep-fried chicken. These Africans later evolved to be thecooksin many a Southern American family where crispy deep-fried chicken became a regular staple. They also found out that it travelled well inhotclimatic conditions before 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 best optionfor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a gentleman named James Boswell who wrote alogin 1773 called “diary of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his log he noted that at meals the local people 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 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 formula for fried chicken in English is hidden away in one of the most celebrated cooking books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse called The Art of cookery Made Plain and Easy. Her dish had a strange name named “To Marinate Chickens” which was first available in 1747. The book was a success in the United kingdom and more importantly in the Usa Colonies.
Here is the original recipe...
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 the yolks of two eggssome melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together thoroughly, dip yourchicken piecesin the batter and fry them in a first-rate deal of pork lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of light golden incolour and arrange them on your dish with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemons and a superior gravy. Today, 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 process has went worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
