KFC's Secret 11 Herbs and Spices recipe may finally be revealed
Decades-old Kentucky Fried Chicken secrets were potentially up for grabs this week in the United States as a treasure trove of personal items owned by founder Harland David Sanders and his wife, Claudia, went up for auction.
The KFC Original Recipe, created by Colonel Sanders himself, is a secret mix of 11 herbs and spices that give the crunchy fried chicken its iconic finger-lickin’ good flavour.
Legend has it that the businessman’s original handwritten recipe was ‘jealously guarded’ in Louisville, Kentucky, but it’s thought that one fan is now in possession of it.
On Tuesday (28 July), a public auction conducted by The Menish Group took place, with the Colonel’s signature black bow tie, an original KFC cash register, pressure cookers, cutlery sets, and a bust of him sculpted by his daughter all going on sale.
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Later this week, the former home he shared with Claudia and another restaurant will be available to bid on.
Colonel Sanders was the original celebrity chef,” said Bill Menish of the Menish Group. “The feedback has been worldwide, so we needed to have an auction that would cater to that worldwide audience.”
According to WSVN, the largest sale of the evening was a personal planner that Sanders is thought to have handwritten the KFC recipe into.
The diary was previously the subject of an early 2000s lawsuit filed by the KFC Corp to keep the contents private.
The fast-food titan is understood to have later dropped the legal action, stating that after reviewing the planner, the ingredients didn’t match Sanders’ secret blend of 11 herbs and spices and were likely for a stuffing recipe.
However, that hasn’t stopped someone from banking on it being the real recipe for, with the ledger being sold for a hefty $30,000 at auction.
“What a keepsake,” Menish reportedly said during the auction period.
According to the auction house, the memorabilia is described as the Personal Handwritten Datebook and Working Planner of the KFC founder.
It ‘served as a personal working notebook in which Sanders recorded observations, expenses, travel details, meals, business notes, and other aspects of his day-to-day activities’.
Prior to the notebook being sold for a five-figure sum, Menish announced that neither he nor the auction house would permit people to look at it before purchase.
“The beauty of this auction is we’re not even showing [the handwritten page] to people,” he explained via Food & Wine.
“We don’t want them to get a picture of it and ruin its rarity and uniqueness. So when the owner purchases it, not only will they see it, they’ll be the one that is able to tell the story from that point forward.”
Regardless of whether the planner contains the 11 herb and spice recipe, you cannot deny that it’s an absolute find for any KFC-obsessed fan.
“It really is a beautiful time capsule,” added Menish. “It’s a storytelling device all on its own.
Ella Scott