Turducken: What the Heck is It?

Julie Wimmer
Turducken you say? What is it you say? It sounds like a disease you can get after hunting ducks in an unnamed pond. I first heard of the Turducken when John Madden was announcing for football games. It seemed like all of November he would talk about this Turducken. I think you could hear him drooling. I,however, could never get the word right, always asking, "What'd he call it? A turkey mc-muffin? What's that bird he makes fun of, the turkey dunkin? Did he say Truh-ducking?"

Well, it is pronounced just as it is spelled - TUR - DUCK - EN. So where the heck did this come from and what is it? The Turducken has been around for 31 years, so to some people it's pretty new, to others, well, pretty old I guess. The Turducken is actually Trademarked, yup, because of its fabulous name I suppose, and said to be invented in sorts by a Paul Prudhomme. I guess he didn't want to call it the Pruducken.

So what is the Turducken? It is basically a chicken stuffed into a duck stuffed into a turkey. This process is done when they are no longer living of course. Doing this alive would be really difficult anyway. Apparently when this Turducken tradition started in 1980, it was a Cajun thing, which I think makes perfect sense, because those Cajun's, well, they do do things spicy. After all, you have to debone all the birds.

So why make a Turducken? It's supposed to be a pretty tasty concontion of bird, because when you layer three birds together with bread-stuffing shoved into the gaps that are left open, rather than cooking one lonely bird, the result is quite a treat.

Is there a downside? Depends who you ask. There is a possbility of developing a "caw" and waking up with a few feathers the next morning. But hey, that is all in the name of a fabulous bird. Or three birds, rather. Totally worth it.
Hey! Don't forget to debone!


Turducken Recipes:

Paula Deen (you know hers is good because it is probably filled with lard and butter and cream)
Homecooking (probably in Uncle Bubba's backyard fire pit)
Cajun Grocer (watch out for that spice)

Published by Julie Wimmer

Julie worked in tv/film for years. She now works part time instructing preschool gym and fitness classes at a local YMCA. She also has traveled around the US and has a good sense and knowlege of different st...  View profile

8 Comments

Post a Comment
  • Martin Kloess11/16/2011

    well written - thank you

  • Rita Oakleaf11/16/2011

    I don't think I've ever had duck, let alone one stuffed with chicken and then stuffed inside a turkey. I think I'll stick to one of the three at a time. :)

  • Don Rothra11/16/2011

    Great article. You have a humorous way of writing and I enjoy it. Tur-duck-en, turkey, duck and chicken. Who woulda thunk?

  • Michele Starkey11/16/2011

    Ewww, I don't think I'd enjoy this !!! cheers

  • Melissa Matters11/15/2011

    I'll stick with turkey! =)

  • Jesse Schmitt11/15/2011

    sounds crazy!!

  • Mary Oberg11/15/2011

    I haven't heard of this main dish before. Thanks for sharing, Julie!

  • Lori Gunn11/15/2011

    I have not thought about this incredible meal for a long time! More than enough to feed a lot of us:) Thanks for the happy smile and the great writing.

Displaying Comments

To comment, please sign in to your Yahoo! account, or sign up for a new account.