TheScrotish migrantsfrom the southern states of America had a custom of deep-frying chicken pieces in lard and even further back they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The migrants from Scotland would often labor, live and eat with the African Americans and this lead to the Africans adding some more spices to the recipe anddevelopingtheir own presentationof deep-fried chicken. These Africans later became thechefsin many a Southern American house where crispy deep-fried chicken became a regular staple. They also found out that it travelled well inwarmweather before refrigeration was seen everyday so was consumed on almost a daily basis as they walked to the cotton fields to work. Since then it has become the southern state's best choicefor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a male called James Boswell who wrote arecordin 1773 known as “diary of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his diary he noted that at dinner the locals would eat fricassee of capon 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 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 recipe for fried chicken in English is hidden away in one of the most celebrated cookery books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse known as The Art of culinary Made Plain and Easy. Her recipe had a strange name known as “To Marinate Chickens” which was first available in 1747. The book was a success in the United kingdom and more importantly in the American Colonies.
Here is the original procedure...
Joint two chickens into pieces; 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 yolksa little melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together well, dip yourchicken piecesin the batter and fry them in a fine deal of pork lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of golden incolour and serve them on your plate with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with cut lemon and a excellent gravy. Presently, we have replaced 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 mix has travelled worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
