TheScrotish migrantsfrom the southern states of America had a custom of deep frying chicken in fat and even prior to this they used to fry fritters in the middle ages.
The migrants from Scotland would often labor, live and dine with the African Americans and this lead to the Africans adding some additional seasonings to the procedure andcreatingtheir own presentationof deep-fried chicken.
These Africans later became thechefsin many a Southern American home where deep-fried chicken became a typical staple.
This is said to have come from a male called James Boswell who wrote alogin 1773 called “journal of a Tour to the Hebrides”.
In his diary he noted that at dinner the locals would eat fricassee of capon which he went on to say “crispy 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 discovered that it travelled well inwarmweather before refrigeration was common so was enjoyed on almost a daily basis as they travelled to the cotton fields to work.
Since, it has become the south's go-tofor just about any occasion.
The very true origins of fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known recipe for deep-fried chicken in English is stashed in one of the most renowned cooking books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse known as The Art of cooking Made Plain and Easy.
Her dish had a strange name known as “To Marinate Chickens” which was first published in 1747. The book was a success in the UK and more importantly in the American Colonies.
Here is the original formula...
Cut 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 eggssome melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together 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 a fine browncolour and arrange them on your dish with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemons and a good quality gravy. Now, we have swapped out the hog fat with Rapeseed oil which has 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 formula has travelled worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
