TheScrotish migrantsfrom the southern states of Usa had a tradition of deep-frying chicken in fat and even before this they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The Scrotish migrants would often work, live and dine with the indentured Africans and this lead to the Africans adding some supplementary spices to the formula anddevelopingtheir own presentationof crispy fried chicken. These Africans later went on to become thechefsin many a Southern American house where deep-fried chicken became a frequent staple. They also discovered that it journeyed well inhotclimatic conditions in the times before refrigeration was common so was consumed on almost an every day basis as they travelled to the cotton fields to work. Since then it has become the region’s top choicefor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a gentleman called James Boswell who wrote ajournalin 1773 called “journal of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his record he noted that at mealtime the locals would eat fricassee of hen 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.
The very true origins of crispy fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known mix for crispy deep-fried chicken in English is stashed in one of the most well-known cookery books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse known as The Art of culinary Made Plain and Easy. Her mix had a strange name named “To Marinate Chickens” which was first in print in 1747. The book was a hit in the England and more importantly in the American Colonies.
Here is the original food...
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 well, dip yourfowlsin the batter and fry them in a superior deal of pork shorteningwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of light golden incolour and arrange them on your plate with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with cut lemon and a excellent gravy. Today, 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.
