 After the development of larger and faster @-@ growing hogs ( due to crosses between European and Asian breeds ) in the 18th and 19th century in the United States , backyard and small @-@ scale hog production provided an inexpensive means of converting waste food , crop waste , and garbage into calories ( in a relatively small space and in a relatively short period of time ) . Many of those calories came in the form of fat and rendered lard . Lard was used for almost all cooking and was a fundamental component in many common homestead foods ( many that today are still regarded as holiday and comfort foods ) like biscuits and pies . The economic / caloric necessity of consuming lard and other saved fats may have led to the popularity of fried foods , not only in the US , but worldwide . In the 19th century cast iron became widely available for use in cooking . The combination of flour , lard , a chicken and a heavy pan placed over a relatively controllable flame became the beginning of today 's fried chicken . 
