Themigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of Usa had a custom of deep-frying chicken in lard and even previously they used to fry fritters in the middle ages.
The migrants from Scotland would often work, live and dine with the African slaves and this lead to the Africans adding some other flavorings to the mix andmakingtheir own versionof fried chicken.
These Africans later went on to become thefood preparersin many a Southern American family where deep-fried chicken became a common staple.
This is said to have come from a gentleman named James Boswell who wrote ajournalin 1773 named “diary of a Tour to the Hebrides”.
In his record he noted that at meals the locals would eat fricassee of capon which he went on to say “deep-fried chicken or something like that”.
What he in actual fact 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 lasted well well inhotconditions in the times before refrigeration was everyday so was enjoyed on almost every day basis as they walked to the cotton fields to work.
Since then it has become the southern state's preferred choicefor just about any occasion.
The very true origins of deep-fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known mix for crispy deep-fried chicken in English is obscured in one of the most well-known cooking books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse called The Art of cookery Made Plain and Easy.
Her process had a strange name called “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 process...
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 thoroughly, dip yourchicken piecesin 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 a fine browncolour and set them on your plate with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemons and a excellent gravy. In the present day, we have replaced 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 mix has walked worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
