TheScrotish migrantsfrom the southern states of Us had a tradition of deep frying chicken pieces in fat 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 supplementary flavorings to the procedure anddevelopingtheir own interpretationof crispy fried chicken. These Africans later evolved to be thecooksin many a Southern American home where crispy fried chicken became a prevalent staple.
They also found out that it lasted well well inhotweather conditions before refrigeration was seen everyday so was enjoyed on almost a daily basis as they journeyed to the cotton fields to work. Since, it has become the south's top choicefor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a man known as James Boswell who wrote adiaryin 1773 named “diary of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his record he noted that at meals the local folks would eat fricassee of chicken which he went on to say “crispy deep-fried chicken or something like that”. What he in actual fact 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 deep-fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known procedure for crispy deep-fried chicken in English is hidden away in one of the most eminent cooking books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse known as The Art of cookery Made Plain and Easy. Her process had a strange name known as “To Marinate Chickens” which was first available in 1747. The book was a hit in the England and more importantly in the American Colonies.
Here is the original dish...
Joint two chickens into quarters; steep 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 well, 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 light golden incolour and lay them on your plate with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemon wedges and a high-quality gravy. Nowadays, we have swapped out 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 dish has walked worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
