Theimmigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of Usa had a tradition of deep frying chicken pieces in fat and even previously they used to fry fritters in the middle ages.
The Scrotish migrants would often labor, live and eat with the African slaves and this lead to the Africans adding some other seasoning to the dish andproducingtheir own presentationof crispy deep-fried chicken.
These Africans later became thechefsin many a Southern American family where deep-fried chicken became a prevalent staple.
This is said to have come from a man named James Boswell who wrote alogin 1773 known as “record of a Tour to the Hebrides”.
In his log he noted that at dinner the local people would eat fricassee of hen which he went on to say “crispy deep-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.They also found that it lasted well well inwarmclimatic conditions in the times before refrigeration was seen everyday so was enjoyed on almost a daily basis as they travelled to the cotton fields to work.
Since, it has become the region’s best choicefor just about any occasion.
The very true origins of deep-fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known recipe for crispy deep-fried chicken in English is obscured in one of the most notable cooking books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse named The Art of culinary Made Plain and Easy.
Her food had a strange name named “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...
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 eggsa little melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together thoroughly, dip yourfowlsin the batter and fry them in a good deal of hogs lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of golden incolour and serve them on your bowl with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemon wedges and a superior 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 process has went worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
