When I was growing up, my grandma would always roast the Thanksgiving bird and bring it to the meal at our house. I say “bird” because our holiday fowl wasn’t always the traditional turkey.

One year, at the advice of her butcher, Grammy decided to get a capon (kay-pon). What’s a capon, we asked. The answer? “A really big chicken.” Of course, that began a dialogue between my dad and grandma that went something like “You have a capon? I thought you had a coat on.” And so it continued (more than once).

A capon is actually a neutered young rooster, which results in a larger, more tender and flavorful, and less gamey bird than traditional hens (and is probably more than I want to know about my dinner). As I recall, it was good, but I can’t say that my taste buds were particularly discerning at that age.

It’s been many years since my Thanksgiving holiday including something besides turkey. But I know a few folks who have enjoyed ham, steaks, lasagna and even hot dogs on Thanksgiving.

One of the weirdest alternatives I have encountered in recent years, however, is the turducken. In all honesty, I have never sampled one, mainly because they are rather expensive, but I would if I had the opportunity to do so. A turducken is a de-boned chicken, stuffed into a de-boned duck, stuffed into a de-boned turkey. All of the various gaps and cavities are then stuffed with a variety of stuffing mixtures, resulting in a solid, layered creation.

This delicacy is said to date back to the 18^th century, where it was produced by the wealthy, sometimes involving five or more meats. The modern version has been commercially produced since 1985 by Hebert’s Specialty Meats (www.hebertsmeats.com) in Maurice, Louisiana following a request by a local farmer to prepare his birds in that manner. Today, the company produces about 5,000 turduckens per week around Thanksgiving.

In the Carolinas, turduckens are available at Harris Teeter, Fresh Market, Whole Foods and other specialty meat shops.

What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten for Thanksgiving?

By Karen Murray (Public Relations Manager)