The First (and Italian!) Fried Chicken Recipe in Print🍗

Plus, citizenship of a different kind. 🗽🤌🏻🍝

Jul 04, 2024

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Since this newsletter falls on the Fourth of July, I figure I better say SOMETHING about our nation’s 248th birthday. But since America is depressing me (note: this newsletter/blog doesn’t dive into politics, but I will say if you are in the U.S., YOU NEED TO VOTE THIS FALL), these days, I’m going to talk about food! And Italy! And let’s start by talking about those two things together.

It just so happens that this upcoming Saturday is National Fried Chicken Day. Why? I don’t know. The chicken producers wanted a holiday to sell more chicken? Likely. So let’s talk fried chicken, why don’t we? Specifically Italian fried chicken. Ok, I know what you are thinking: fried chicken originated in the American South, didn’t it? Sorry to break it to you, it didn’t. The ancient Romans fried up all manner of food, including chicken. But it wasn’t until 1570 when we see the first recipe for fried chicken in print. This recipe showed up 454 years ago in the cookbook, L’Opera di Bartolomeo Scappi, nearly two hundred years before Scotland tried to claim it (1747) and centuries before the American South became the king of fried chicken. Yes, it’s true. This recipe is nearly twice as old as America.

Fried chicken ala Bartolomeo Scappi. Recipe and photo by Crystal King.

Most of this Renaissance recipe is the same as what we know of fried chicken, where the chicken is dredged in flour and then fried. The big difference, however, is the marinade and the spices, which are not at all what we might be used to and seem downright strange when it comes to fried chicken.

Note: You should be able to find must, a reduced grape syrup, online. If not, substitute grape juice that has been cooked down to a syrup. You could also substitute vincotto.

Renaissance Fried Chicken
From Book II.126 of L’Opera di Bartolomeo Scappi

Ingredients

Chicken parts - 4 legs, 4 thighs

Marinade

1 2/3 cup dry white wine
2 1/2 tbsp grape must
2/3 cup white wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp nutmeg
2 cloves garlic, crushed

Frying the chicken

2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
4 cups peanut, canola, or vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

Mix all marinade ingredients together and marinate the chicken for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.
Remove chicken from marinade.
Mix together flour, salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until it reaches 350 degrees.
Dredge chicken pieces in the flour mixture (a paper bag is ideal for this). Shake off excess flour.
Add pieces of chicken skin side down first. Cook with the lid on for 10 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of the chicken (e.g. thighs need more time than legs). Remove the lid and turn the pieces over, cooking uncovered for another 15-20 minutes, without turning, until they are cooked through (use a meat thermometer to test if it is ready, at 165 degrees). You want the chicken pieces to be golden brown, not too brown.
Drain the chicken on a wire rack, letting it rest for several minutes before serving, to help the crust set so it won’t fall apart.

Buon appetito!
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I realize this may be weird to post about on the 4th of July, but I have some news I’m super excited about. You might remember my post back in March about prepping for the Italian B1 language test for citizenship. I took the test on April 11th, and it was harrowing. I went to NYC for it and sat in a room with 11 other hopefuls to take the test. I was sure I had flunked it because I had the weirdest panic attack during the writing section, barely able to breathe and hardly able to count the words to make sure I was within the word count. I’ve been waiting FOREVER to find out, and finally, finally, it turns out, I PASSED!

This does not give me citizenship, but now I can apply for it. Soo, maybe another year or so (paperwork and passport processes are slowwww), but the hardest part of getting it is over. WHEW! In decades past I would have had to give up one citizenship for another, but fortunately these days I can hold dual citizenship (and an EU passport)!

LOOK! A NEW GOODREADS GIVEAWAY!

My publisher, MIRA Books, is running another Goodreads giveaway, this time for the entire month of July! You can get in on the action to win a print copy here.

Congratulations to Kathleen Arivella for winning Linda Lappin’s SIGNATURES IN STONE! Stay tuned for another giveaway to come in next week’s post.

WHAT IS BRINGING ME JOY THIS WEEK

Aside from all the above, I’m super excited about this upcoming series, which comes to Netflix on July 25. If you aren’t familiar with Boccaccio’s Decameron, here’s a quick overview: As the bubonic plague spreads through Italy, a group of nobles and servants retreats to a villa and spend their days telling stories to each other. In the Netflix version, their lavish getaway quickly spirals into chaos.

Vanity Fair brings us some of the first photos from the set of Gladiator II and I really can’t wait for this film!
Everything you ever wanted to know about mayonnaise. Sorry, but they can’t show the great Mayo Ape on film. I don’t know why.

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If you love food and love Italy, and haven’t read THE CHEF’S SECRET or FEAST OF SORROW, click the links to learn where to buy your copy! 🍒🍗🍷 And now you can pre-order IN THE GARDEN OF MONSTERS!