Theimmigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of Usa had a tradition of deep frying poultry in fat and even before this they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The Scottish immigrants would often labor, live and dine with the African Americans and this lead to the Africans adding some additional flavorings to the procedure andmakingtheir own interpretationof fried chicken. These Africans later went on to become thecooksin many a Southern American house where fried chicken became a universal staple. They also observed that it travelled well inwarmclimatic conditions in the times before refrigeration was commonplace 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 known as James Boswell who wrote adiaryin 1773 called “record of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his log he noted that at an evening meal the local folks would eat fricassee of pullet which he went on to say “crispy fried chicken or something like that”. What he really heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not 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 recipe for crispy fried chicken in English is hidden away in one of the most notable cookery books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse called The Art of culinary Made Plain and Easy. Her formula had a strange name called “To Marinate Chickens” which was first released 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 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 well, dip yourchicken piecesin the batter and fry them in a excellent deal of pork shorteningwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of golden incolour and lay them on your bowl with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with cut lemon and a good quality gravy. Presently, we have changed 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 went worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
