turducken
noun
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
Caroline Framke, Vulture, 9 May 2025
In the 1997 Thanksgiving game between the Bears and Lions, Madden shared the concept of the turducken to viewers.
—Marley Malenfant, Austin American-Statesman, 18 Nov. 2024
Brady also enjoyed another Turkey Day television tradition — his first taste of turducken.
—Natasha Dye, People.com, 2 Dec. 2024
To this day, Sammy Herbert sells about 3500 turduckens a year, according to SouthernFoodWays.org.
—Marley Malenfant, Austin American-Statesman, 18 Nov. 2024
Definitive answers are scant in this metaphysical turducken of a novel, which is nominally about the attempts of a Brooklyn author, burdened with a hefty publishing advance, to finish his second book.
—New York Times, 8 July 2024
Chainalysis also had to calibrate for the ways that DeFi tends to become a bit of a turducken of investments within investments.
—Brady Dale, Axios, 12 Sep. 2024
So if Meta and Apple do strike that deal, that will be a veritable turducken of AI functionality that Europeans won’t be able to access anytime soon.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 24 June 2024
Recipes: How to make Cheddar Bay Biscuits The foodie community at Food.com has recipes for just about everything — from simple meals like mac and cheese all the way up to preparing turducken.
—John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 15 May 2024
Cite this Entry
“Turducken.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/turducken. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
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