They’re especially rich in protein, iron,
calcium, and fiber, and have a distinctive,
sweet flavor reminiscent of maple sugar or
molasses.
Lentil The lentil is probably the oldest
cultivated legume, contemporaneous with
wheat and barley and often growing alongside
these grasses. Its native ground is arid
Southwest Asia, and it’s now commonly eaten
across Europe and Asia. Most lentils are
produced in India and Turkey, with Canada a
distant third. The Latin word for lentil, lens,
gives us our word for a lentil-shaped, or
doubly convex, piece of glass (the coinage
dates from the 17th century). Lentils contain
low levels of antinutritional factors and cook
quickly.
Lentils are divided into two groups:
varieties with flat and large seeds, 5 mm or
more across, and varieties with small, more
rounded seeds. Large varieties are more