Crispy Crossings: a Global History of Fried Chicken

CRISPY CROSSINGS: A Global History of Fried ChickenFrom Enslaved Kitchens to KFC Buckets—How a Humble Dish Fed Empires, Sparked Revolutions, and Became a Contested IconSink your teeth into the 8,000-year saga you never knew was on your plate.Journey from ancient Mesopotamian fires to the plantation kitchens where enslaved Africans transformed Scottish technique into America’s most iconic dish. Witness how a survival food became a tool of entrepreneurship, a weapon of racist mockery, and a $30-billion global phenomenon—all through the lens of a single, crispy bite.Why does fried chicken ignite such passion—and controversy?The Hidden Architects: Meet the enslaved Black chefs whose genius created Southern fried chicken, only to be erased from history.Pressure-Fried Revolution: How a failed gas station owner (Colonel Sanders) and a WWII-era gadget conquered the planet.Global Reinventions: From Japan’s karaage to Korea’s spicy yangnyeom—discover how cultures made it their own.The Battle for Its Soul: Unpack the racist tropes, cultural appropriation fights, and the high-stakes quest to reclaim its legacy.Praise for CRISPY CROSSINGS:”A masterpiece of culinary archaeology. Reads like a thriller with a side of collards.” — Pulitzer Prize-winning Food Historian”Finally—a book that gives fried chicken the complex, global epic it deserves.” — NYT Bestselling Chef & ActivistPerfect for readers of Salt by Mark Kurlansky, The Cooking Gene by Michael Twitty, and Soul Food by Adrian Miller.You’ll devour chapters on:The West African spice routes that shaped your favorite recipeHow industrial chicken farming changed flavor foreverNashville’s hot chicken wars and the Korean chimaek phenomenonWhy chefs today are reviving heritage breeds—and why it mattersMore than a food history—it’s a mirror to our world: migration, power, resistance, and the enduring search for identity in every golden crunch.Grab your copy and taste the revolution.