Quail as food

Quail with sauce

Fried quail with insertedquail eggsin the Philippines

BothOld WorldandNew World quailinclude edible species. Thecommon quailused to be much favoured inFrench cooking,but quail for the table are now more likely to be domesticatedJapanese quail.The common quail is also part ofPolish,Maltese,Italian,Mexican,Spanish,andIndian cuisine.Quail are commonly eaten complete with the bones, since these are easily chewed and the small size of the bird makes it inconvenient to remove them.Quails were domesticated inChina.China is also the largest producer of quail meat in the world.

Quail that have fed onhemlock(e.g., during migration) may induceacute kidney injurydue to accumulation of toxic substances from the hemlock in the meat; this problem is referred to as "coturnism".

A persistent myth holds that it is impossible to eat quail every day for a month. This has been the subject of a number of proposition bets; however, it has been achieved on several occasions.

This "every-day-for-a-month" estimation may have been derived from aBiblical passageabout quail. The children of Israel, having become tired of eatingmanna,demanded flesh to eat. God then gave them quail, but with this warning: "Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days;buteven a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye have despised the Lord whichisamong you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt? "(Numbers 11:19-20, KJV). Later in the passage, we are told," And while the fleshwasyet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote the people with a very great plague "(Numbers 11:33, KJV).

A 19th-century recipe fromCaliforniaforCodornices a la española(Spanish-style quail) was prepared by stuffing quails with a mixture of mushroom, green onion, parsley, butter, lemon juice and thyme. The birds were brushed withlard,bread crumbs and beaten eggs and finished in the oven. A savorypiecould be made with quail,salt pork,eggs and fresh herbs.

Kosher status

Only certain species of quail are consideredkosher.TheOrthodox UnioncertifiesCoturnix coturnixas kosher based upon the masorah of RabbiShlomo Zev Zweigenhaft.

See also

• Quail eggs