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LENTILS


Lentils are an odd lot. They don't fit in with either the beans or thepeas and occupy a place by themselves. Their shape is different from theother legumes being roundish little discs with colors ranging from muddybrown, to green to a rather bright orangish-red. They cook very quicklycompared to other beans and have a distinctive flavor. They are much usedin Far Eastern cuisine from India to China.

Lentils, the small round seeds of a pea-like plant, have been cultivatedsince the earliest days of settled farming. Almost 8,000 years ago in therich fertile area between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates, in what is nowIraq and Syria, the Sumerians were growing lentils, beans and chickpeasalong with cereals such as wheat and vegetables including onions, leeksand lettuce.

Lentils were an important component of the expanding Mediterranean agriculture,providing a major source of protein in the region, particularly for poorerpeople. The Hebrew word for lentils, adashim, comes from adeesh meaning'to tend a flock' - indicating perhaps that it was food for peasants andherders.

In Europe, from the 11th century onwards, a common food was dumplings cookedin the cauldron, and often they were made from dried legumes: pease puddingis an example. Elsewhere, in India for instance, lentils were widely cultivatednearly 2,000 years ago, along with peas, beans gourds. Early curries containedmany of the distinctive ingredients still today such as onions, lentilsor dal cooked in ghee (clarified butter) and flavored with cardamom, cumin,coriander and turmeric.

The split red lentils found in every supermarket are just one ofa colorful range of this branch of the leguminosae family. These from theEgyptian or Syrian brown lentils have been split and hulled. As split redlentils, they need no soaking, are quick to cook and mash into a congenialthick soupy consistency when ready. Then there are the large European andthe grey Puy variety take a little longer to cook but retain their shape.

Lentils are one of the most tasty and nutritious pulses. With their proteincontent they are important meat substitutes in many peasant communities,and among other people wishing to omit animal flesh from their diet.

Lentils / Green Lentils / Red Lentils