TheScrotish migrantsfrom the southern states of Us had a tradition of deep-frying poultry in lard and even before 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 extra flavorings to the formula andgeneratingtheir own presentationof crispy deep-fried chicken.
These Africans later went on to become thecaterersin many a Southern American house where crispy fried chicken became a frequent staple.
This is said to have come from a guy known as James Boswell who wrote arecordin 1773 called “diary of a Tour to the Hebrides”.
In his log he noted that at meals the local people would eat fricassee of fowl which he went on to say “crispy fried chicken or something like that”.
What he actually heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not crispy deep-fried chicken but you could say that where it was first named.They also found that it transported well inwarmweather conditions prior to refrigeration was seen everyday so was enjoyed on almost a daily basis as they travelled to the cotton fields to work.
Since, it has become the southern state's go-tofor just about any occasion.
The very true origins of fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known food for crispy fried chicken in English is obscured in one of the most renowned cooking books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse named The Art of cooking Made Plain and Easy.
Her process 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 US Colonies.
Here is the original formula...
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 eggsa little melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together thoroughly, 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 arrange them on your bowl with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemons and a good quality gravy. Nowadays, we have changed the hog fat with Rapeseed oil which features 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 food has travelled worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
