Many of us have probably eaten quail eggs once in our life, but have you tried a quail before? We take it as no since that could be the main reason why you are here. Worry no more as we will discuss a lot of things about quail in this article. Presently, quails have approximately 130 species known under the Galliform order of birds, where pheasants, turkeys, ducks, and others are also included in the order. Among these, quails are recognized to be the smallest.
Since known to be small, they are also called easy prey as their body building doesn’t give them the capacity to run rapidly or fly well. Granted that they have sharp beaks to feast on worms as their prey, they usually end up being prey by species on a higher food chain. More often than not, around 70 species further end up on our plate. In fact, we have been breeding and consuming them for over ten thousand years. So, what does quail taste like?
What is Quail?
Quails are the smallest members of Galliform, among chickens, ducks, geese, and turkeys. Although hard to find, they are usually found on farmlands and grasslands where bushes are abundant. Quails are said to native and originated in North American but several types of species are found on almost everywhere of the world. They approximately lay about 300 eggs per year and hatch them with the help of male for incubation. Primarily, quails are ground dwellers so they often eat berries and seeds that are scattered on the ground. Seldom times as well, they tend to eat leaves, roots, and some insects.
What Does Quail Look Like?
As to what have mentioned, quails are small birds. They a short but stocky body that comes along with their long and pointy wings that measure from 32 to 35 centimeters wingspan speaking. Their scale-like feather pattern arrangement varies from blue, black, brown, white or cream, which obviously depends on their type. If you still cannot imagine how small quails are, they only weigh from 68g to 140g. Quails are so small that when cooked, one quail will not be enough for a person to eat on a main course. In fact, one quail is just served as an appetizer to some gourmet restaurants. Have you imagined how small quails are by now?
What Does Quail Taste Like?
We describe the taste of quail very likely to chicken, except that quail is tastier and tender than a poultry chicken. Some says that you can describe the taste between a chicken and a duck. Remember, quail is tiny, which makes their bones also tiny and not too hard for you eat – yes, you can also eat their bones.
How about farm raised quail? What does farm raised quail taste like? Does it taste the same the ones from the grasslands? Farm raised is way more likely to taste as chicken as their diets are regulated. Unlike the ones outside the farm, quails eat other than plants and fruits which contributes to their flesh and meat taste. Hence, nobody will almost notice that you served them a quail instead of chicken, well except that it’s going to look smaller than usual.
Quail Eggs – What Does It Taste Like?
Of course, their best-known quail eggs! What does quail egg taste like? Quail eggs are considered to be a delicacy in Asia and in some parts of Europe and America. They are much smaller than chicken eggs which makes them easy to spot and differentiate from other types of eggs. The shell is also covered with black irregular black shapes so you can always tell and distinguish them.
Quail eggs taste quite similar to chicken eggs, except that they are more flavorful and their yolk is creamier. It has a really simple taste, nothing too special so if you have not tried one, you will be surprised that it tastes just like a boiled chicken egg.
Simple Quail Recipe
In case that this article has made you decided you’re trying a quail now, we have prepared you a simple but perfect quail recipe for you to try and have it on your dinner!
Ingredients:
- 6 Quails
- 1 tbsp. sesame Oil
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 10 dashes of fish sauce
- 1 tbsp. of ginger
- 1 orange juice
- ½ orange zest
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1 large ziplock to fit 6 quails
Procedure:
Wash and dry the quails. Mince the garlic and combine the rest of the ingredients and massage the mixture of flavors to the quail until absorb. Once the flavors are uniformly applied, put them inside the bag and keep them in the fridge overnight. The next day, remove the seasoned quails from the fridge and let them thaw for about 1 hour or until the ice is dissolved.
Once the quails are softened, spilled the quail into two, cutting lengthwise. Grill them for about 7 minutes and flip to the other side until golden brown and you’re done! This is best served when hot so make sure to eat it once cooked right away.
Conclusion
Despite quails are renowned as being the smallest type of bird in Galliform order, they are the opposite in terms of nutrition. Quails are a good source of iron, zinc, vitamin b3, and vitamin b6. They also contain a higher amount of protein and fats compared to chicken.
Hopefully, at this part, you finally know the answer to the question “What does quail taste like”. Quails have been around the different cuisine with different known recipes. Their small size has contributed to having more intact and intense flavor than chicken. Hence, if you are decided to make your version, you can go to your favorite market and choose from fresh, frozen, deboned, or bone-in quail. Just make sure that these quails are creamy on the looks and moist to avoid any food safety issues that you might encounter along the cooking process. Other than that, enjoy the quails!
