Themigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of Usa had a tradition of deep frying chicken in fat and even prior to this they used to fry fritters in the middle ages.
The Scrotish migrants would often work, live and eat with the indentured Africans and this lead to the Africans adding some other seasonings to the formula andbuildingtheir own versionof Southern Fried Chicken.
These Africans later evolved to be thefood preparersin many a Southern American family where crispy deep-fried chicken became a universal staple.
This is said to have come from a guy named James Boswell who wrote ajournalin 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 pullet 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 fried chicken but you could say that where it was first named.They also found out that it journeyed well inhotclimatic conditions in the times before refrigeration was seen everyday so was enjoyed on almost an every day basis as they went to the cotton fields to labor.
Since then it has become the region’s most suitable choicefor just about any occasion.
The very true origins of crispy fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known formula for crispy deep-fried chicken in English is stashed in one of the most famous culinary books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse called The Art of culinary Made Plain and Easy.
Her food had a strange name named “To Marinate Chickens” which was first in print in 1747. The book was a hit in the United kingdom and more importantly in the Usa Colonies.
Here is the original food...
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 thoroughly, dip yourfowlsin the batter and fry them in a first-class deal of pork shorteningwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of light golden incolour and serve them on your plate with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemon slices and a first-class gravy. Nowadays, we have swapped out 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 recipe has walked worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
