Theimmigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of Us had a tradition of deep-frying chicken in lard and even previously they used to fry fritters in the middle ages.
The migrants from Scotland would often work, live and eat with the African Americans and this lead to the Africans adding some supplementary seasonings to the process andmakingtheir own versionof Southern Fried Chicken.
These Africans later went on to become thecaterersin many a Southern American family where deep-fried chicken became a frequent staple.
This is said to have come from a male known as James Boswell who wrote alogin 1773 named “diary of a Tour to the Hebrides”.
In his journal he noted that at meals the locals would eat fricassee of hen which he went on to say “crispy deep-fried chicken or something like that”.
What he actually heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not crispy fried chicken but you could say that where it was first named.They also found that it travelled well inhotconditions before refrigeration was common so was consumed on almost a daily basis as they went to the cotton fields to work.
Since, it has become the southern state's top choicefor just about any occasion.
The very true origins of crispy deep-fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known formula for crispy deep-fried chicken in English is obscured in one of the most recognized culinary books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse known as The Art of cooking Made Plain and Easy.
Her mix had a strange name called “To Marinate Chickens” which was first published in 1747. The book was a hit in the UK and more importantly in the Usa Colonies.
Here is the original procedure...
Cut 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 the yolks of two eggsa little melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together well, dip yourfowlsin the batter and fry them in a first-class deal of pork lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of light golden incolour and set them on your bowl with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemon slices and a good quality gravy. In the present day, we have replaced the hog fat with Rapeseed oil which contains 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 travelled worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
