Did You Know?

You can probably guess the origins of turducken just by looking at the word; it is a portmanteau (a word whose form is derived from a blending of two or more distinct other words) created by combining the words turkey, duck, and chicken, and the dish does indeed incorporate all three varieties of fowl. Turducken was first noted in print in 1982, although it may have been in use before that. The dish is a cousin of ballotine, a less familiar food item consisting of deboned meat, poultry, or fish stuffed with seasoned meats or vegetables, rolled and tied into a bundle shape, and usually braised. (The word ballotine derives from the French word for "bundle.")

Examples of turducken in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Try a labor-intensive recipe, such as croissants, macarons, or the infamous turducken — something that could occupy your mind for several hours or days. — Christen A. Johnson, chicagotribune.com, "Commentary: 11 ways to cope with the anxiety of election week," 2 Nov. 2020 The information is so sensitive that Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee keep the documents in a lockbox in a vault in C.I.A. headquarters in Langley, Va. — prompting some intelligence officials to call the lockbox a turducken. — Adam Goldman, New York Times, "John Ratcliffe Pledged to Stay Apolitical. Then He Began Serving Trump’s Political Agenda.," 9 Oct. 2020 Think of it like a turducken, a cronut, or one of those Taco Bell tacos that has Doritos on it — except on the skin. — Leah Prinzivalli, Allure, "What's the Difference Between Rosacea and Papulopustular Rosacea?," 31 Mar. 2020 Go to a Cajun restaurant in New Orleans, and you might be offered a slice of turducken: a fancy dish of chicken stuffed inside of a duck stuffed into a turkey. — Gretchen Vogel, Science | AAAS, "Oldest modern bird fossil looks like a duck from the back and a chicken from the front," 18 Mar. 2020 Monty Python’s brand of sketch comedy was innovative and absurdist, which will no doubt mean this showbiz turducken will be brimming with self-deprecating jokes and even more meta-meta-commentary. — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "Fox is turning Monty Python’s Spamalot into a movie for some reason," 4 May 2018 Each turducken is 24 to 26 pounds, costs $129.99 and feeds 18 to 20 people. — Jess Fleming, Twin Cities, "Great takeout BBQ ribs? Best Chinese restaurants? Your food questions answered," 21 Mar. 2017 Scott Thill Andrew Bird Armchair Apocrypha Orchestral folk-pop is a lot like a turducken: — Wired Staff, WIRED, "Reviews," 1 Apr. 2007

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'turducken.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.