Custom «History of Southern Fired Chicken» Essay Paper Sample

Southern fried chicken is well throughout the world. The procedure of deep-frying, pan-frying or pressure frying pieces of breaded chicken keeps the meat moist and tender while making a crunchy crust. It can be enjoyed when still hot with mashed potatoes and gravy or as a cold picnic dish. Deep-frying was an ordinary method of food preparation in quite a number of ancient cultures although we view fried chicken as a Southern cuisine (McDaniel, 2011). A variety of chicken dishes with this type of cooking were made in India, China, Rome and Egypt. The regions of Scotland and Italy enjoyed a type of fritter in the course of medieval times. Since then, cultures of every continent have been enjoying fried chicken.

D'Amico & Drummond (2003) assert that in the history of U.S. (United States), Southern fried chicken holds a significant position. A lot of Scottish households settled in the South in the course of colonization bringing with them their fried chicken recipes and preparation techniques. Then African people introduced new seasonings and spices, when they were brought over as slaves, which made an enriched taste that became a favorite of all very rapidly. Slaves were permitted to raise chickens hence becoming their major source of protein. In addition, Southern fried chicken travelled without refrigeration much better compared to other meats and served well African Americans in the course of segregation years when they were not allowed in restaurants. Finally, Southern fried chicken became a custom for people of all races and creeds for Sunday dinner and other festive holidays.

According to Egerton & Egerton (1987), Southern fried chicken appeared first in 1828’s Mary Randolph’s printing of her Virginia House-wife. The recipe was not a complicated one consisting of cutting up a fresh chicken, dredging it with flour, sprinkling with salt and frying until golden in a skillet of hot oil. Southern fried chicken started to appear in Northern United States and European cookbooks by the early 1900s.

However, a lot of variations on coatings have been provided over the years. For instance, the chicken is dipped in an egg York, paprika and red hot pepper sauce after dipping in flour; then it is rolled in breadcrumbs before it is fried. Others prefer dipping the chicken in buttermilk before flouring. The other alternative is to soak the chicken in milk and lemon juice during the night. Injection of the chicken with a spicy concoction before frying is the other well-known preference (McWilliams, 2012). The cooking oil is a significant ingredient for taste and health concerns. The customary Southern fried chicken was cooked in lard or a mixture of vegetable oil, butter and bacon grease. People are more health conscious in the 21^st century and prefer a lighter cold pressed vegetable oil that has low saturated fats. However, it is agreed by everyone that Southern fried chicken is best when cooked in a well-seasoned, deep-dish cast iron skillet with a lid. Chicken can also be fried without bones and skin. Thus, some people skin the chicken after cooking because the breading absorbs the fat from the hot oil.

Southern fried chicken was cooked using different cooking devices since ancient ties. These devices have been changing with new means of cooking being invented and used to cook over the years. For instance, a pressure cooker was used initially to prepare Southern fried chicken. A similar method was perfected with broaster pressure fryers in the mid-1950s (Watkins, 2006). Currently, good results can be attained with a deep fryer, iron skillet, and even baking- suppose you want to reduce your oil consumption. The objective of frying chicken is to cook it slowly, lovingly, and not to crowd cooking pan. In spite of its humble beginning, Southern fried chicken is common currently with every culture cooking it in a different way, and has been proved to be the main source of proteins.