In ancient Russia, quail meat was highly valued, and hunting for this bird was considered one of the most attractive occupations. To date, their number has decreased significantly. This is explained by the fact that quails simply do not have enough space to live because of crops planted by people and treated with chemicals. But at the same time, ardent meat lovers do not have to lose heart, because, as it turned out, such birds can perfectly breed in captivity. Thanks to this, every modern person has the opportunity to enjoy delicious and healthy dishes.
The article will tell about the benefits and harms of quail meat, its composition and use for various purposes. In addition, below you can find some interesting recipes for cooking. Such meat is simply impossible to spoil, since in itself it is very tasty and tender.
Quail meat
Before you find out the answers to your questions, it is worthwhile to understand what this amazing product is. Quail meat is considered the real game. It is distinguished by its tenderness and is easily digested. In addition, this product has a luxurious taste and is perfect for a diet, although it belongs to the high-calorie category.
Useful properties and contraindications of quail meat, as well as other facts about it, can be seen below. It has gained quite wide popularity not only among hunters, therefore in restaurants dishes based on it are prepared very often.
Structure
The home-grown quail meat has the same composition as that of wild birds. It contains a sufficient amount of protein, a minimum of fat and almost no carbohydrates. In addition, it contains all kinds of useful minerals and vitamins.
There are 21.8 g of protein per 100 g of product, from 14 to 17 g of fat and 0.4 g of carbohydrates. Also, this meat is rich in essential acids:
- leucine - 1.62 g;
- isoleucine - 0.87 g;
- valine - 0.96 g;
- threonine - 0, 72 g;
- lysine - 1, 50 g.
In addition to these components, in the quail carcass in sufficient quantities there are such macroelements: chlorine, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and sulfur. At the same time, calorie content per 100 grams is only 150 kcal.
Benefit
The invaluable benefits of quail meat allow you to safely consume it to losing weight people and young children. Amazing composition provides good product properties:
- intake of fatty acids and essential amino acids into the human body;
- improving heart function;
- cleansing the vascular walls of cholesterol and reducing its concentration;
- increase immunity;
- normalization of body weight;
- improving liver function;
- general strengthening effect;
- normalization of cerebral circulation;
- stimulation of the brain;
- increase male strength;
- antitumor effect;
- strengthening teeth and bones;
- normalization of blood glucose;
- prevention of salt deposits in the kidneys and joints.
It is worth noting that this list is not exhaustive, but it is simply impossible to list all the useful properties. In addition, the product differs from the meat of other game and another important nuance - the absence of allergens. Thanks to this, it is allowed to be used in any quantity, without fear for the appearance of redness, irritation and other adverse effects.
The main advantage of many parents is the fact that the taste of the product attracts the attention of babies. Given the benefits and safety for a small organism, quail meat can be called an ideal product for the first feeding.
Harm and contraindications
People who have learned what is useful for quail meat want more information about its harm. It must be said that it does not have dangerous properties. Quite often, people worry about individual intolerance, although in fact it develops to this product in extremely rare cases.
Of course, meat can harm human health, but the reason for this is the dishonesty of producers. Some of them feed birds with various antibiotics, feed additives, growth hormones and other undesirable supplements. All these harmful substances can accumulate in the carcass, and then cause intoxication among consumers.
As for bona fide producers, they feed animals with exclusively useful feeds and complexes. At official facilities, birds are closely monitored by veterinarians, and product quality is regularly checked for contamination by contaminants.
In order not to lose confidence in the safety of products for which the consumer spends money, you should ask the seller for relevant documents. They must confirm the absence of harmful microbes or substances for human health.
Storage
Keep quail meat in packaging from the store is allowed only two days. It is best to remove it from the bag and transfer it to a regular container, then place it in the refrigerator - you can store the product in this form for up to two weeks. If you want to keep the carcass in a normal state for a longer time, it should be frozen.
Medical use
The beneficial properties of quail meat make it possible to introduce it into the diet of any person without any restrictions. Doctors strongly recommend consuming it in the following physiological conditions:
- pregnancy;
- period of breastfeeding;
- old and old age.
Also, experts, evaluating the benefits of the product, advise their patients to eat it regularly for such diseases:
- anemia;
- bronchitis;
- pneumonia;
- arterial hypertension;
- atherosclerosis;
- gastritis;
- pathology of the liver;
- diabetes;
- hypovitaminosis;
- nervous tension;
- mineral deficiency.
Quail carcasses in the postoperative period or in the case of serious illness will have a good effect on health. In addition, dishes prepared from this product are recommended for cancer patients, as it will help restore strength.
Selection rules
To date, no one is facing the problem of acquiring the right meat. It can be found in any market, as well as on the shelves of supermarkets and ordinary grocery stores. The choice of goods should be approached correctly to get a fresh and safe product. To do this, observe a few simple rules:
- It is best to give preference to those sellers who keep their workplace clean and carcasses are stored in the refrigerator.
- The seller can be asked to produce documents that confirm the quality and complete safety of the product.
- When buying a frozen carcass, you need to pay attention to its appearance - the surface should be dry, and when pressed on it, the dents should go almost instantly.
- Putrid or sour smell indicates spoilage of the product.
Cooking
Before cooking, poultry meat must be boiled for several minutes in salted water. After this, the resulting broth should be drained into a separate container, since it can easily be used to prepare sauce or soup, and the carcass must be thoroughly washed. Thanks to this simple procedure, meat can be protected from contamination.
As soon as the stage of primary processing and disinfection is completed, you can immediately start cooking. This can be done in the following ways:
- boiling;
- frying;
- for a couple;
- grill;
- quenching;
- baking.
Often, culinary specialists additionally stuff the carcass before dipping in the oven or in the pan. As a tasty filling, you can use various products, but do not forget about the increase in calorie content. The following benefits will bring maximum benefit and minimum harm to the figure:
- vegetables;
- cheese;
- mushrooms;
- chestnuts;
- dried fruits;
- fruits;
- offal.
At home, as in restaurants, the quail turns out delicious with a side dish. They can be boiled rice, buckwheat, stewed vegetables, various salads, olives and legumes.
Get a refined taste will help sauces. Truly spicy additions will not leave indifferent any taster. Today the best sauces for this meat are:
- wine;
- berry;
- sour cream;
- garlic
- mushroom.
It’s important not to dry the tender carcass during the cooking process, which is very easy to do. This must be taken into account, and especially to those culinary specialists who make such dishes for the first time.
Finally, it's time to find out how quail meat is cooked. Two great recipes are provided below. They do not require special cooking skills, therefore they are available to every person.
Steamed bird with vegetables
In addition to quail carcasses, you need to take young potatoes, cabbage, vegetable oil and spices to taste for cooking. All ingredients are taken in any quantity, based on consumer preferences.
First of all, you need to rub the meat with salt, and then grease it with a mixture of vegetable oil and spices. Then the product must be sent to the refrigerator for a couple of hours to marinate. After the set time, the carcass needs to be taken out, placed in a container with vegetables already chopped, and put in a double boiler. There, the dish should be cooked under a closed lid for an hour and a half.
Hunting dish
Often, people have a question about how to cook quail meat in a hunting manner. In fact, there is nothing complicated about this, and you will not have to search for ingredients for a long time.
For one carcass, you will need to take 100 g of butter and several grape leaves. First, the bird needs to be salted. It is better not to use additional spices, as this will only make the taste worse. After the meat needs to be greased with oil and wrapped in leaves, reinforced with thread on top. In this form, the product should lie about half an hour. Then it must be sent to a preheated pan with the remaining oil and fry for 10 minutes.