Couple 'find KFC's secret recipe'
A Kentucky couple are claiming to have found one of the best kept culinary secrets - Colonel Harland Sanders' secret recipe for KFC chicken.
Now the fast-food giant has started court proceedings to force Tommy and Cherry Settle to hand over a book they claim contains the recipe.
The handwritten note was found by the Settles in a box of books at their Shelbyville home, which they bought in the early 1970s. In a leather-bound book, among appointments and other notes, was a recipe for fried chicken that called for 11 herbs and spices.
A KFC spokeswoman said: "While we think it improbable that any individual has the secret recipe to our famous fried chicken, we took Mr Settle's threat seriously."
It's the same number that makes up the recipe for one of the temples of fast-food culture - the Original Recipe fried chicken of KFC, formerly known as Kentucky Fried Chicken. The exact blend is a secret as well kept as the formula for Coca-Cola.
The recipe is known by only a handful of people, all of whom have signed confidentiality contracts, according to KFC's website.
In putting the recipe together, one company blends a mix that represents only a part of the recipe. Another company blends the remainder, with neither company ever having the complete recipe.
The judge handling the case, William Stewart, is set to start proceedings. The Sanders' book is now in a courthouse safe.
Sanders came up with the famous recipe in the late 1930s for Sanders Court and Cafe in Corbin, Kentucky.
Back then, the motel and restaurant business seated 142 people. In 1998, more than 10,300 KFC restaurants generated about £14.2 billion.
