Deep Fryer: Source of the Cajun Deep Fried Turkey

While preparing to Fest this year for Thanksgiving, where I'll be serving delicious fried turkey, I was interested in the origin of the treatment juicy.

What is deep fried turkey?
"Frying turkeys is all a kind of version southern make fondue. You have many of their friends, you poke around in a pan of hot oil with some sticks, and then you pull out your dinner. Justin Wilson, the Cajun fame, recalls first seeing a turkey fry in Louisiana in 1930 .""--- something different: Deep-Fried Turkey, Beverly Bundy, St. Louis Dispatch, November 24, 1997 (Food p. 4)

What is a fried turkey you ask? Injected with marinade and cooked at 350 degrees F peanut or other vegetable oil, deep-fried turkey is not greasy. The frying process seals in juices creating delicious meat and skin of golden brown delicious. Incredibly juicy inside and wonderfully crispy on the outside, the explosion of flavors and contrasting textures made it a favorite for barbecues, parties, tailgating, holiday parties and informal weddings.

It seems that I first heard about the turkey deep fry about 15 years ago, then suddenly everyone and their brother was doing it. So what caused this sudden phenomenon?

Roots in the southern United States
Deep frying turkey has its origin in the southern United States, or Louisiana. I heard a few restaurants in southern Louisiana who became popular by the injection of whole birds with a Creole style marinade, then dropping them in hot peanut oil. It had to be something more than to get the word, Regional restaurants simply do not have power to change a deeply ingrained tradition, like roast turkey.

I thought maybe it was the accessibility of new large deep as the original Kamp Kooker sold by Home Depot, that was a favorite of celebrity chefs such as Emeril?

Why is it called Cajun, is not it?
I started doing a little research on the Internet, and although I only spent a few hours, it is not exact year, restaurant, or the person is connected to this particular style of cooking turkey. There is evidence that the turkeys were cooked fried outdoor events to large popular meetings (family, charity dinners, church suppers, etc.) in the early years of the twentieth century.

Generally regarded as a Cajun tradition, I could find no direct link to acadien Cajun culture. In fact I found food historians generally agree that the turkeys fried roots Bayou (Louisiana / Texas) Creole cuisine. Revenue then migrated from Louisiana / Texas to Missouri, Tennessee, Georgia (peanut oil), and Washington, before forked north toward Seattle and Vancouver.

The power of Martha Stewart
So here seems to be a magic formula. I did find credit where Martha Stewart is given to take the recipe to include America in the early 90:
"Fried turkey was all the rage at least the last decade in New Orleans, and long before it was a tradition in the stream and across the south. As a very vain culinary craze before it, the national notoriety of fried turkeys can directly attributable to Martha Stewart, who snatched them from regional obscurity and put them in his magazine in 1996. ""--- is treacherous, but oh so tasty;-Fried Turkey Fans risk, Annie Gowen, The Washington Post November 22, 2001 (p. B1)

If this is the case, it appears that Martha may have created an entire industry. A typical configuration, including all the accessories turkey fryer can easily run $ 200 - $ 300. I would say that these people and people of peanut oil Martha owe a big thanks.

Send me your thoughts. Leave a comment, I would like to learn more about the origins of fried turkey, where it came from and what made it so popular.

Robert Anthony is a contributing editor for "5 Steps to Juicy Deep Fried Turkey" in Turkey frying tips GrillingGuide.net Directory.

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