Quails in cookery

The quail family of birds includes edible game species. The Common Quail was previously much favoured in French cooking, but quail for the table are now more likely to be domesticated Japanese Quail. Quail is also used in Indian cuisine such as a bhuna. 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.

The eggs of quail are considered a delicacy. They are sometimes used raw in sushi. In Colombia quail eggs are less exotic than in many other countries, and a single hard-boiled quail egg is a common topping on hot dogs and hamburgers, often fixed into place with a toothpick. Quail eggs are often very high in cholesterol. Quail eggs are also often used in Japanese Bento lunches.

The Common Quail is also part of Maltese cuisine and Portuguese cuisine.

Quail that have fed on hemlock (e.g. during migration) may induce acute renal failure due to accumulation of toxic substances from the hemlock in the meat; this problem is referred to as "coturnism".cite journal |author=Tsironi M, Andriopoulos P, Xamodraka E, "et al" |title=The patient with rhabdomyolysis: have you considered quail poisoning? |journal=CMAJ |volume=171 |issue=4 |pages=325–6 |year=2004 |pmid=15313988 |doi=10.1503/cmaj.1031256|url=http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/171/4/325]

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