The lentil (Lens culinaris) is an edible pulse. It is a bushy annual plant of the legume family, known for its lens-shaped seeds. It is about 40 cm (16 in) tall, and the seeds grow in pods, usually with two seeds in each. BackgroundEdit Lentil plants in the field before flowering Lentils have been part of the human diet since aceramic (before pottery) Neolithic times, being one of the first crops domesticated in the Near East. Archeological evidence shows they were eaten 9,500 to 13,000 years ago.[1] Lentil colors range from yellow to red-orange to green, brown and black.[1] Lentils also vary in size, and are sold in many forms, with or without the skins, whole or split. TypesEdit Illustration of the lentil plant, 1885 Red and brown comparison Brown/Spanish pardina. French green/puy lentils (dark speckled blue-green) Green Black/beluga Yellow/tan lentils (red inside) Red Chief (decorticated yellow lentils) Eston Green (Small green) Richlea (medium green) Laird (large green) Petite Golden (decorticated lentils) Masoor (brown-skinned lentils which are orange inside) Petite crimson/red (decorticated masoor lentils) Macachiados (big Mexican yellow lentils) The seeds require a cooking time of 10 to 40 minutes, depending on the variety—shorter for small varieties with the husk removed, such as the common red lentil — and have a distinctive, earthy flavor. Lentil recipes[2] are used throughout South Asia, the Mediterranean regions and West Asia. They are frequently combined with rice, which has a similar cooking time. A lentil and rice dish is referred to in western Asia as mujaddara or mejadra. Rice and lentils are also cooked together in khichdi, a popular dish in the Indian subcontinent (India and Pakistan); a similar dish, kushari, made in Egypt, is considered one of two national dishes. Lentils are used to prepare an inexpensive and nutritious soup all over Europe and North and South America, sometimes combined with some form of chicken or pork. Dried lentils can also be sprouted by soaking in water for one day and keeping moist for several days, which changes their nutrition profile. Lentils with husk remain whole with moderate cooking; lentils without husk tend to disintegrate into a thick purée, which leads to quite different dishes.[3]
Posted on: Thu, 08 Jan 2015 02:15:37 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015