TheScottish immigrantsfrom the southern states of America had a custom of deep frying chicken in fat and even before this they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The immigrants from Scotland would often labor, live and eat with the indentured Africans and this lead to the Africans adding some new flavorings to the recipe andgeneratingtheir own versionof fried chicken. These Africans later evolved to be thecooksin many a Southern American household where crispy deep-fried chicken became a universal staple. They also learned that it journeyed well inhotweather prior to refrigeration was everyday so was eaten on almost every day basis as they journeyed to the cotton fields to work. Since then it has become the southern state's best optionfor just about any occasion.

This is said to have come from a fellow called James Boswell who wrote arecordin 1773 known as “record of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his log he noted that at dinner the locals would eat fricassee of rooster 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.

The very true origins of fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known mix for fried chicken in English is hidden away in one of the most eminent culinary books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse named The Art of cookery Made Plain and Easy. Her mix had a strange name known as “To Marinate Chickens” which was first published in 1747. The book was a hit in the UK and more importantly in the US Colonies.

Here is the original process...

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 2 eeg yolkssome melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together thoroughly, dip yourfowlsin the batter and fry them in a high-quality 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 platter with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemon slices and a high-quality gravy.
These days, we have changed 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 journeyed worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.

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