The three decided to combine forces and devise something new: a tofu roast surrounded by “drumsticks” made of tempeh. Seth Tibbott, the tempeh maker, pushed for the cheeky name and, voila, the first commercialized Tofurky was born. While it didn’t taste much like meat, this notorious vegan dish has had an undeniable influence on the plant-based foods of today. 

“Tofurky deserves credit for getting the ball rolling on meat alternatives as we think of them now,” says Jan Dutkiewicz. Dutkiewicz is a visiting fellow at Oxford University where he’s researching the future of food. He’s traced the path from Tofurky to today’s plant-based burgers and even tomorrow’s cultured meat in a new video produced by Johns Hopkins University, where he is also a fellow. 

This well-known vegetarian roast wasn’t the first plant-based protein, of course, but it was definitely something new. “It gave a lot of people a first taste, literally and conceptually, of meat alternatives…[something different than] soy and tempeh and seitan and quorn—” not that there’s anything wrong with those old vegan stalwarts, of course. But with the Tofurky, says Dutkiewicz, “we can actually have a [meat] facsimile.” And not just any meat, either. Tofurky could conceivably serve as the centerpiece of the meal, at least for one day a year.