Food Profile - Quail Eggs

Sometime ago my mum called me up and asked, what is the truth about quail eggs......and I asked her why she wanted to know. She then went on to tell me about how quail eggs are so good at curing all manner of ailments....


While I confirmed that quail eggs are certainly nutritious and healthy to eat, and that in comparison to chicken eggs, they do contain much higher levels of certain nutritionally beneficial elements, they are by no means a miracle cure...!

So she was informed, and all the excitement about quail eggs being the best thing to happen to mankind, soon eased up...! but in order not to dash her hopes, I assured her though that there are actually some real benefits to eating quail eggs.

Quail Eggs

Quail eggs were not really produced and sold in Nigeria until very recently, (I think in the last couple of years), though quail itself is sold in some country side local markets for its meat. Called Aparo in the Yoruba language, this meat is some sort of delicacy which is only available seasonally. The quails are not farmed but are caught in the wild and sold as as a type of "bush meat".

Boiled Quail Eggs

Recently, there has been an increase in the number of poultry farms in Nigeria that now rear quails for their eggs and meat.

A closer look at the nutritional profile of quail eggs will help us get a better understanding of how beneficial they can be to our diet:

Nutritional Data for Quail Eggs (based on one boiled quail egg)
Calorie - 14kcal
Protein - 1.17g
Carbohydrate - 0.04g
Fats - 1g
Fibre - 0g

Mineral - Calcium, Potassium, Iron, Copper, Phosphorus, Zinc, Magnesium
Vitamins - A, B1, B2, B6,  B12, D

Good for Health
Quail eggs are so small, an average egg weighs about 9g. I chicken egg is the equivalent of about 5 quail eggs in size. But chicken eggs cannot compare in terms of mineral and vitamin content, weight for weight. This is why it is so much sought after, the protein contained in quail eggs are considered to be complete with high levels of important amino acids and fatty acids. Even though quail eggs contain high levels of cholesterol, it is the good cholesterol.

The internet is full of different sites promoting the consumption of quail eggs with all the possible cures of different ailments. In fact, it is being touted as a superfood....and it sure might be. Like pills, some of these sites actually recommend "dosage" for the intake ranging from 120 eggs to cure or improve digestive malfunctions to up to 240 eggs for more serious conditions. The eggs are not to be consumed at once of course, but over a period of days, with a frequency of about 3-5 eggs per day.!

How to Eat Quail Eggs

1. Quail eggs are best eaten raw as this guarantees the nutrients are not lost of damaged due to heat processing
2. They can also be boiled being careful not to over cook them and destroy vital nutrients. 
3. They can be fried in omelettes or added to other dishes. 
4. They are great in salads and can also be added to soups or stews

Boiled Quail Eggs