Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Fried Chickepidia

Before I get down to the eating and increased exercise that I will need to counteract the eating, I wanted to learn a bit more. I decided to do some quick internet research on Fried Chicken’s history and some variations involved.

I grew up eating lots of Fried Chicken. Most of it was made by my mother. Hers is still some of my favorite. I think it is still kind of amazing that she made such great food while working 2 jobs with 4 kids as a single parent. My mother to this day has never brined any food. She never touched buttermilk and relied solely on a shallow pan frying method. I want to have her make Fried Chicken for me at some point in September. I also hope to make some for her to get her opinion on my cooking.

Fried Chicken has apparently been around since the medieval era. Fritters and Fricassee were predecessors to what we know and love today. It is seen around the world in different incarnations. The Vietnamese call it Ga Xao and the Italians Pollo Frito. It is largely believed to have been introduced top the American South by Scottish immigrants. (sidetracked drooling moment..Fried Chicken and Scotch Ale..mmmmmmm). Although there has been evidence of deep frying in West Africa , a time line has yet to be established to see if it predates European contact.

There are 4 main cooking methods, deep Frying (a method employed by many fast food and full service restaurants), shallow or pan frying(used by many home cooks like my mom), oven frying (I have seen more often in southern recipes) and pressure frying( shout out to the Colonel!). There are many regional variations as well throughout the south, a popular Maryland fried chicken and the latest craze, Korean fried chicken.

I plan to sample examples of all major cooking methods. I also plan to do a good amount of home cooking. I hope to come to a favorite home method by testing a variety of brines and frying methods. Wish my waistline luck.

Enjoy to adventure in gluttony.
The Skinny Fat Kid

1 comment:

  1. Looking forward to reading about your fried chicken adventures!!!

    ReplyDelete