People all over the world and throughout history have loved fried food. With the invention of deep-frying, the popularity of fried food has only grown. If you’re interested in the delicious history of deep-fried foods and how you can bring this delicious history to your business, just keep reading.
The Invention of Deep Frying For Deep-Fried Foods
Traditional frying with shallow oil has been around since ancient Mesopotamian times, and deep-frying was invented almost as long ago. One of the first records of deep-frying is from the 2nd millennium BCE. Deep-fried dough originated around modern-day Israel, which included areas such as the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, southern Syria, and southern Lebanon.
The Evolution of Deep-Fried Foods
The practice of deep-frying food slowly spread throughout Europe and Arabia following this initial invention in the Near East. We next see deep-fried fish appear on the scene in the 13th century AD, or the 1200s, on the Iberian Peninsula, which is modern-day Spain and Portugal. Around the same time, northern European countries were deep-frying dough just as those in the Near East had done centuries earlier. Soon after, in the 1300s, you could find falafel, or fried chickpea batter, in Egypt and the Middle East.
In the 1500s, the Portuguese shared their discovery of delicious, deep-fried fish with the Japanese, and tempura was born soon after. Potatoes were thrown into the deep-fryer next by either the French or the Belgians, creating what we now know as the french fry. Since French is spoken in both countries, the true inventor is still unknown, but we do know that the food originated in the late 1700s. Roughly a hundred years later, Joseph Malin combined fried fish and fried potatoes in London and created the famous fish and chips dish. Deep-frying then quickly spread throughout the British Empire.
Modern Deep-Fried Foods
The US would bring deep-frying into the modern world due to the popularity of the cast iron skillet across the colonies and eventually the country. Dutch immigrants brought with them deep-fried dough, and by the mid-1800s, the American donut was popularized. Fried food quickly took off across the country from there, and in less than a hundred years, Kentucky Fried Chicken locations were popping up across the US for convenient fried food. Now any restaurant or business can own a deep-fryer and share fried food with their local populace.
The delicious history of deep-fried foods is interesting to learn about and proves how popular deep-fried food will continue to be around the world and here in Canada. If you want to jump on this never-ending trend, invest in an open pot fryer for your business. DSL will be happy to help you pick the right one so you can start frying and bringing in new customers.