Known for its impressive health benefits and delicious taste, quail meat is one of the most popularly eaten meats in the world. It is consumed extensively in Asian countries like China and Japan. Originating in North America, quails are also found in Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia, and South America. The meat takes some time to get cooked thoroughly, but when you taste the flavours and relish the juicy meat, you’ll know that the effort was worth it!
All You Need to Know About Quail
A valued dietary choice with unique benefits, quail meat comes to us from quail birds, a tiny, plump bird with brown feathers. It weighs around 1-2 pounds (roughly 400-900 grams). Quail, which belongs to the pheasant family, is sought after for its flavoured dark or white meat. In India, it is popularly known as ‘bater’ and is found in different regions.
Health Benefits of Quail Meat & Eggs
Quail is rich in protein, vitamins, minerals, iron and macronutrients such as calcium, phosphor, zinc and more. Here are a few prominent health benefits:
- it contains a host of vitamins, including Vitamin A, D, K and B.
- Quail eggs and meat are rich in selenium, essential fatty acids and antioxidants.
- The eggs are also believed to improve hair growth, being a rich source of iron, zinc, amino acids and a multitude of vitamins.
- Quail eggs are also believed to help treat anaemia as they are enriched with Vitamin A, iron, and B12.
What Does it Taste Like?
Quail meat is moist, tender and juicy. This plump meat has a distinctive taste and a mild flavour that is rich. It is the light texture of quail that makes it perfect for grilling, roasting, and baking. Quail is lean and hence is best prepared with barding, or moist heat, which consists of adding fat around the meat. This trick prevents it from drying out when it is cooked.
Quail bird Interesting Facts
Curious about the quail? Here are interesting facts about an already interesting bird!
- The relatively tiny quail can lay up to 10- 20 eggs at a single time.
- Quails can only fly short distances due to being ground dwellers.
- A quail bird flocks in groups. Besides humans, wild cats and foxes also hunt quail.
- More than 90% of a quail’s diet is plants, besides food grains and seeds.
- The taste of quail meat somewhat tastes like chicken.
- The male quail has a more extended black plume. The female quail has a shorter brown plume.
- The life span of quail is 3-4 years.
- Quails lay approximately 300 eggs in a year.
- Healers in the East continued to use quail meat to treat specific diseases mainly related to the internal organs for many centuries.
People enjoy delicious quail similarly to the way they enjoy chicken or any other popular meat. Quail meat is used in myriad continental-styled recipes, Indian-styled recipes, or lip-smacking savoury recipes.
Here are 3 popular ways to make quail which you will relish:
Stuffed Quail: A finger-licking recipe, quail tastes heavenly when baked, grilled, or stuffed. In stuffed quail, the whole bird can be stuffed with fillings of choice – from meats to veggies or a mix of both – covered in butter and roasted until it turns into a tender, golden-brown delight.
Southern Steamed Quail: One of the most fuss-free and straightforward recipes to try, cooking a southern steamed quail does not require much time, yet it tastes fantastic. Despite a simple 3-ingredient seasoning including flour, salt and pepper, steaming quail brings out their more intense flavours without the generous use of cooking oil.
Asian-Style Roasted Quail: Quite the delicacy for a light dinner or lunch, Asian-style roasted quail meat has been a sought-after quail meat dish for years. The marinade prepared using simple ingredients like honey BBQ sauce, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, and white wine, yields impressively delicious results. After this, the meat is placed on hot grills and the different flavours blend to bring you a perfectly scrumptious meal.
Does that make you eager to relish Quail meat? If that is so then buy meat that has a pinkish colour featuring yellowish skin that looks plump. This is the only way to get the best out of taste, health and flavour.