Quails in cookery

Both Old World and New World quail include 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. The Common Quail is also part of Polish cuisine, Maltese cuisine and Portuguese cuisine, as well as in Indian cuisine such as a bhuna and Kerala Specialties. Quails 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.

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".

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.