TheScrotish migrantsfrom the southern states of Usa had a tradition of deep-frying chicken in lard and even prior to this they used to fry fritters in the middle ages.
The immigrants from Scotland would often work, live and eat with the indentured Africans and this lead to the Africans adding some other seasoning to the process andbuildingtheir own presentationof crispy fried chicken.
These Africans later evolved to be thefood preparersin many a Southern American home where crispy fried chicken became a regular staple.
This is said to have come from a gentleman called James Boswell who wrote adiaryin 1773 called “journal of a Tour to the Hebrides”.
In his record he noted that at mealtime the local folks would eat fricassee of fowl which he went on to say “crispy fried chicken or something like that”.
What he really heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not crispy deep-fried chicken but you could say that where it was first named.They also discovered that it travelled well inwarmconditions before refrigeration was prevalent so was enjoyed on almost every day basis as they journeyed to the cotton fields to work.
Since then it has become the southern state's most suitable choicefor just about any occasion.
The very true origins of fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known recipe for fried chicken in English is stashed in one of the most renowned cooking books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse named The Art of culinary Made Plain and Easy.
Her mix had a strange name named “To Marinate Chickens” which was first published in 1747. The book was a success in the England and more importantly in the US Colonies.
Here is the original dish...
Joint two chickens into quarters; 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 2 eeg yolkssome melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together very well, dip yourfowlsin the batter and fry them in a high-quality deal of pork lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of golden incolour and place them on your platter with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with cut lemon and a high-quality gravy. Today, we have exchanged 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 journeyed worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
