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by JumpCrisscross 951 days ago
Southern fried chicken has a fascinating history.

It combines West African techniques that used flavoured batter and palm oil to force seasoning deep into (albeit soggy) meat with Scottish techniques that used animal fat to create a crispy shell designed for preservation (albeit with little seasoning) [1]. Add in one of the few places on the planet, at the time, where cast iron was cheap enough to find its way to even slaves, and you get the cultural tradition that is Southern fried chicken: flavourful, crispy and accessible.

[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fried_chicken#History

1 comments

speaking of which, "african american vernacular english" likely has scottish and irish influence too

origins are still up for debate, but the plantation owners were more established families speaking a more accepted English dialect, while the field hands would more likely be newer voluntary immigrants such as Scottish and Irish and more interaction and cross drift with the West African slaves

You do be making a good point.