The NFL’s Thanksgiving Day games have become a cultural phenomenon that brings people together over family, food, and football. While turkey is the main dish of choice for many Americans, another stuffed bird has gained popularity among NFL fans, thanks in large part to the legendary John Madden. While Madden may not have invented the turducken, his love for the dish helped make it synonymous with Thanksgiving Day football, a tradition that lives on until today.
What Is A Turducken? How Did It Make Its Way Into The NFL?
A turducken is a unique culinary creation consisting of a deboned chicken stuffed inside a deboned duck, which is then stuffed inside a deboned turkey.
The invention of the legendary turducken goes all the way back to the 1970s but it was Gourmet Butcher Block owner Glenn Mistich who brought the dish into the national spotlight by delivering one to Madden in the broadcast booth.
Once known as a Louisiana specialty, Madden loved the dish so much that he promoted it to a nationwide audience every year on his Thanksgiving Day football broadcast.
According to Mistich, he would only sell about 250 turduckens per year. But that number ballooned to up to 5,000 per year after Madden helped popularize the dish.
John Madden Helped Make The Turducken An NFL Thanksgiving Day Tradition
During his broadcasting career, Madden would frequently bring up the turducken as a symbol of indulgence and culinary creativity.
Madden and his broadcast partner Pat Summerall did 22 consecutive Thanksgiving Day broadcasts, beginning in 1981.
Dating all the way back to 1989, Madden made a habit of awarding the MVP of the Thanksgiving Day games with a turkey leg. Green Bay Packers defensive end Reggie White was the first player to eat a turkey leg on the field following the game, a tradition that has lived on ever since.
Then, in 1996, something revolutionary happened. Madden was introduced to the turducken by the New Orleans Saints PR team and fell in love with the triple-stuffed bird on a national broadcast.
Eventually, Madden chose the Turducken to be the official food for his legendary “All-Madden Team”.
When Did Madden First Introduce The World To The Turducken
On December 1st, 1996, Madden got his hands on his first turducken during the New Orleans Saint vs St. Louis Rams game.
During his broadcasting career, Madden would frequently bring up the turducken as a symbol of indulgence and culinary creativity, which aligned perfectly with his larger-than-life personality and love of food.
Since then, the turducken has become as much a part of the NFL Thanksgiving Day tradition as the turkey itself. Last season, Kirk Cousins went viral for his reaction to trying the turducken for the first time.
