TheScrotish migrantsfrom the southern states of America had a tradition of deep frying poultry in fat and even previously they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The immigrants from Scotland would often work, live and dine with the indentured Africans and this lead to the Africans adding some additional seasonings to the procedure andproducingtheir own presentationof deep-fried chicken. These Africans later evolved to be thechefsin many a Southern American home where crispy deep-fried chicken became a universal staple.
They also found that it journeyed well inwarmtemperatures before refrigeration was everyday so was enjoyed on almost every day basis as they travelled to the cotton fields to labor. Since then it has become the southern state's go-tofor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a man named James Boswell who wrote arecordin 1773 named “diary of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his log he noted that at an evening meal the locals would eat fricassee of hen which he went on to say “crispy fried chicken or something like that”. What he in actual fact heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not deep-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 process for deep-fried chicken in English is hidden away in one of the most recognized cookery books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse named The Art of cooking Made Plain and Easy. Her mix had a strange name known as “To Marinate Chickens” which was first released in 1747. The book was a success in the United kingdom and more importantly in the American Colonies.
Here is the original mix...
Cut two chickens into pieces; 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 the yolks of two eggssome melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together very well, dip yourfowlsin the batter and fry them in a high-quality deal of hogs lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of golden incolour and lay them on your dish with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemons and a good gravy. In the present day, we have exchanged 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 formula has travelled worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
