TheScottish immigrantsfrom the southern states of Usa had a custom of deep-frying poultry in lard and even further back they used to fry fritters in the middle ages.
The migrants from Scotland would often work, live and dine with the African Americans and this lead to the Africans adding some new flavorings to the procedure andcreatingtheir own interpretationof crispy fried chicken.
These Africans later evolved to be thefood preparersin many a Southern American family where fried chicken became a universal staple.
This is said to have come from a chap called James Boswell who wrote arecordin 1773 named “log of a Tour to the Hebrides”.
In his journal he noted that at an evening meal the local people would eat fricassee of pullet which he went on to say “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.They also observed that it transported well inwarmclimate before refrigeration was prevalent so was consumed on almost a daily basis as they went to the cotton fields to work.
Since, it has become the south's best optionfor just about any occasion.
The very true origins of fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known procedure for deep-fried chicken in English is hidden away in one of the most eminent cookery books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse known as The Art of culinary Made Plain and Easy.
Her procedure had a strange name called “To Marinate Chickens” which was first available in 1747. The book was a success in the United kingdom and more importantly in the US Colonies.
Here is the original procedure...
Cut two chickens into quarters; 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 yourchicken piecesin the batter and fry them in a first-rate deal of hogs lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of bronze incolour and place them on your platter with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemon wedges and a high-quality gravy. In the present day, 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 travelled worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
