The Tasty and Nourishing Lentil

posted on: Oct 25, 2017

By: Habeeb Salloum/Contributing Writer

According to historians, the lentil was one of the first food plants to be brought under cultivation by man in the Middle East.  In that part of the world where civilization began, this legume has been a part of the diet for millennia. As a food, only bread and rice are believed to have been on the human menu for a longer period.

Lentils have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs and have, since the days of the Pharaohs, been the main staple of the Egyptian and other Middle Eastern peasants.  In the Bible a story is related of how Esau sold his birthright to his twin brother Jacob for a bowl of lentils.  This Holy Book also mentions that David received from Sheba a gift of lentils and this legume formed a part of the bread of Ezekiel.  In the same vein, the Muslim Holy Koran states that lentils were a food the Jews in Sinai asked Moses to provide. 

 A few hundred years before the birth of Christ, the cultivation of lentils spread to eastern Asia, East Africa and the countries around the Mediterranean basin.  In ancient Egypt and Greece, it became one of the favourite foods.  However, the Romans never acquired a fondness for this historic food.  A number of chroniclers have written that since the Romans had little use for the plant, its cultivation did not spread in Europe.  It was only in Spain, and then, only after the Arab occupation, that lentils became a common food.

 After the discovery of the Americas the Spaniards introduced the plant into the New World.  However, only in the countries of Central and South America have lentils become an every-day dish.  In North America, on the other hand, this indispensable legume in the diets of many peoples is surprisingly neglected.  It has only been in the last few decades that it has been cultivated extensively in parts of the northwest U.S.A. and western Canada, especially in Saskatchewan – now the largest exporter of lentils in the world.  However, it has never caught on as a food on a large scale in any region of North America.  Only in the last few years have lentils become a minuscule part of the American and Canadian cuisines.

 Growing up in the Depression years on the arid plains of southern Saskatchewan, I remember the countless lentil soups and stews which our family consumed almost every day.  My parents had brought the seeds with them when they immigrated to Canada, and in the dry dusty soil of the prairies this hardy plant grew and thrived.  No one else in that part of the country was familiar with lentils and we, like our fellow Arab immigrants, kept it well hidden. Being foreigners with inferiority complexes, we ate the delicious lentil dishes hidden in our home, safe from the prying eyes of the neighbours.

Today, as I look back to these years, I think to myself, how foolish we were.  Instead of acquainting our friends and neighbours with this ancient food, we were ashamed to mention its very name.  When our neighbours came for a visit, my mother cooked for them boiled vegetables and meats.  However, when they were gone, we ate our delicious chickpea and lentil stews.

Lentils tolerate a wide range of soil.  Nevertheless, to thrive they need a light sandy land and sunny climate.  They are one of the few plants that enrich the soil.  This is common knowledge among the Mediterranean farmers who, when they rotate their crops, always include lentils.  The nitrogen-fixing bacteria harboured in their roots have made them a preferred peasant crop in the historic Middle Eastern lands. This bacterium for thousands of years, has aided in the revitalization of the soil and kept the land productive.

A member of the bean family, the lentil grows to a bushy plant 10 to 16 inches high. It produces oblong flat pods containing usually two lens-shaped seeds the size of a small pea.  The seeds are allowed to mature and dry on the plant before harvesting.

These ovules, which are the edible part, come in a variety of colours: brown, grey, green, red, yellow and other cross shades.  Nevertheless, no matter what colour, every shade is tasty and has its own unique flavour.

One of the most nutritious foods ever grown by man, lentils are rich in carbohydrates, calcium, iron, vitamin B, and especially protein, making them a vegetarian food par excellence.  A healthy legume with many side benefits, lentils are recommended in cases of low blood pressure, emaciation, anaemia and ulcers.  Containing a higher percentage of protein than an equal amount of lean meat, they surely have a bright future in a world with an exploding population.

In the Mediterranean countries, their wide cultivation and storage qualities make them available at all times of the year and at almost every food outlet.  However, it is only the peasants and labourers who consume this vegetable on a regular basis.  The well to do eat even if they eat it secretly in their homes, deny with great fervour the idea that they enjoy this ancient food.  In my many journeys to the Middle East, I have never been served lentils, even in village homes.  No peasant or labourer will admit he is so, poor that he must serve lentils to his guests. Yet, for the daily fare, hardly a day passes without the housewife preparing a dish for her family.

When being prepared, lentils do not need soaking.  However, if they are immersed in water overnight, they only require half the time for cooking.  If they are to be soaked, the seeds should be rinsed, then after being immersed overnight, cooked in their water.

This delicious legume is satisfying and highly appetizing.  A mouth-watering food, one can easily believe that a hungry person, like Esau, would give almost anything for a dish of lentils.

In the lands where lentils have been consumed for centuries, the number of soups and stews made from this vegetable are legion.  Flavourful and hearty with a meaty taste, these dishes and countless others, prepared with meat or without, are all enticing.