How did the slaves of South America master the recipe of fried chicken?  

Who doesn’t love chunks of chicken deep-fried in hot till it’s crunchy from outside and the inside is deliciously juicy? Some of you probably believe that Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) from Kentucky, USA invented fried chicken. However, that's not true! Well, the method of frying chicken was mastered in the United States, but not without significant influence from other countries. Fried chicken gained popularity everywhere and each region added its distinct flavour to the dish. Come, let’s take a trip down the journey of fried chicken so far. 

The debate over its origin 
No one can claim to have invented fried chicken. Unlike several other meals, it wasn’t made by a single person. The idea of frying chicken occurred simultaneously over several locations. For instance, historical records from China, ancient Greece and Egypt all mention fried chicken. Even during the reigns of Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamen (1332–1323 BC) and Queen Cleopatra (51–30 BC) in Egypt, our ancestors were frying chicken!  

The popular style of fried chicken in the United States may have been brought by Scottish immigrants, who preferred pan-frying chicken to the English methods of boiling or roasting it. Actually, many of them had migrated to South America around the 18th century due to the flourishing slave trade. Well, the slaves of South America, who mastered the recipe, can be credited for the dish’s fame and popularity. So, it won’t be wrong to say that fried chicken has a mixed influence of Africa and Europe. 

The African twist to fried chicken 
Wondering how slaves started frying chicken? Well, they were only permitted to raise chickens, thanks to their small size. But they were given the hard, tasteless scraps. So, the slaves, who had come from Africa and were already aware of frying and chicken, started seasoning the meat with paprika and other imported West African spices before frying it in hot palm oil. And because of the abundant scarps, there was always an abundant fried chicken. Eventually, African Americans started making money by selling fried chicken to tourists and other people. It wasn't until the liberation of slavery that the recipe spread beyond South America and began attracting many eyeballs.  
Bonus fact: The earliest recipe for fried chicken in the United States was published in 1825 in a book called The Virginia Housewife, or Methodical Cook by the American author Mary Randolph. Also, an annual event called 'Fried Chicken Festival' honours the town's history of fried chicken in Gordonsville, Virginia! 

Enter KFC 
Colonel Harland Sanders, an American businessman, worked as a tire salesman, a gas station owner and in the military before inventing a clever method for frying chicken rapidly in 1939. The recipe required a pressure cooker and an unidentified spice mixture. The meal wasn't popular when he tried to sell it at his restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky. However, he was successful in selling the dish to another eatery. At 65 years of age, Sanders started travelling and selling his fried chicken recipe. He even allowed restaurants/companies the license to use the brand 'Kentucky Fried Chicken' in exchange for a 5-cent fee on each bird sold. KFC was officially born in 1952 and attained success by the 1960s. In 1964 when he sold his company to American entrepreneur John Y. Brown Jr, the number of franchisees had reached 600.  Today, KFC is one of the world's most well-known fast-food companies, with more than 18,000 franchise locations throughout 115 nations.