Theimmigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of Usa had a tradition of deep frying chicken in fat and even prior to this they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The immigrants from Scotland would often work, live and eat with the African slaves and this lead to the Africans adding some supplementary spices to the procedure andcreatingtheir own presentationof crispy deep-fried chicken. These Africans later became thefood preparersin many a Southern American household where fried chicken became a ordinary staple. They also learned that it lasted well well inwarmtemperatures in the times before refrigeration was common so was eaten on almost an every day basis as they journeyed to the cotton fields to work. Since, it has become the south's most suitable choicefor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a chap known as James Boswell who wrote alogin 1773 known as “journal of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his diary he noted that at mealtime the local people would eat fricassee of rooster which he went on to say “fried chicken or something like that”. What he in reality heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not crispy deep-fried chicken but you could say that where it was first named.
The very true origins of crispy deep-fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known mix for fried chicken in English is stashed in one of the most famed cookery books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse named The Art of cooking Made Plain and Easy. Her formula 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 mix...
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 2 eeg yolkssome melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together very well, dip yourchicken piecesin 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 golden incolour and place them on your bowl with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with cut lemon and a superior gravy. Presently, 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 mix has walked worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
