Lentils: Red, Green, Black...just how old and valuable are they?

By Dea O'Hopp (Dea) December 22, 2007

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The archaeological excavation at Franchthi Cave in Greece held the discovery of lentils dating back to 11,000 b.c. Indeed, lentils are and have been an incredible nutritional source for ages and continue to provide the same today.

Lentils are one of the oldest cultivated legumes known. They are given reference in the first chapter of Genesis and valuable enough for the story of one’s birthright being given up just to obtain a bowl !

With a 25% ratio of protein, lentils have always been and continue to be an important food source spanning the entire globe. And it's no secret that the word lens is thought to be derived from this legume due to it's shape - an apt description for that particular part of the eye.

Although the lentil has been cultivated in more recent times, the wild lentil, Lens culinaris orientalis, is the place it all started. Since lentils are self-pollinating, it is easy to keep track of lineage. So began the cultivation of this wonderful legume and the varities now are endless.

In the thumbnail you will see the beautiful black lentil, the slightly sweet crimson lentil which is “skinless” and the lentil spoken of in the book of Genesis, the French lentil or Puy which holds up wonderfully in soups and the standard green lentil which is the most economical of all.

Now, let’s talk nutrition! Did you know that lentils provide more folic acid than any other unfortified food per the USDA? How about fiber? Just ¼ cup provides 11 grams of fiber with ZERO fat! Lentils help the body to absorb iron – Lentil Soup with Spinach – it’s a mega meal J

As we've played around with lentils in cooking, the versatility is quite amazing. The darker green French lentils make a lovely salad that improves by a stay in the frig, so it's perfect to make when there's time on the weekends and have handy for a healthy lunch.

We have grown very fond though, of the petite crimson lentil as it's already shelled and split, so cooks up within 15 minutes. The basil we so carefully harvested this fall and froze in ice cube trays with olive oil make a great addition to the lentils. We use it as a creamy and healthy base for grilled salmon.

This marvelous tiny legume is super nutritious, is a cover crop as it puts needed nitrogen back into the soil. All around, it's uniquely useful in many ways; add to that the health benefits and well - it's SUPER LEGUME :)

About Dea O'Hopp   I'm a long time DG'er, super merry wife to the greatest guy on this earth, Michael. By day, we're self employed Mortgage Bankers along with my son Andy. By evenings and weekends we're gardeners trying to get the best out of 3 acres that we can. Andy and DDIL Michelle gave us the greatest gift of all this past year. We hope to inspire our Grandson to have the same love of gardening we do. I truly hope you'll enjoy the occasional articles I submit and most importantly have fun cooking from your garden or your local farms. Happy Gardening and Garden Cooking to all!

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Subject: I love lentils

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Posted by grampapa (from Wheatfield, NY) on December 22, 2007 at 9:45 AM:

Dea, thanks for the great article. I do love lentils, but was not familiar with all the varieties. I will have try them soon.

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Posted by chickenrancher (from Nova, OH) on December 22, 2007 at 10:17 AM:

I am planning on trying to grow them! That spinach and lentil soup sounds wonderful. I would like to try it. Could you write the recipe for me?!!!
Megan

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Posted by threegardeners (from North Augusta, ON) on December 22, 2007 at 11:08 AM:

me too!!! I love lentils.

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Posted by Sharran (from Calvert City, KY) on December 22, 2007 at 12:23 PM:

Nice to know that one of my favorite foods is so good for me. Thank you.

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Posted by Dea (from Frederick, MD) on December 22, 2007 at 1:00 PM:

Hi Megan and all. The recipe for lentil and spinach soup is nothing I've written down. I just use the crimson lentils - about 1 cup and 16 ounces of homemade chicken stock. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15-20 minutes. They breakdown quite easily. Then, depending on the mood, I add some salt and maybe curry or maybe just some herbs de provence - whatever we're in the mood for.

I always keep chopped spinach in the freezer, so just thaw and throw in a mini blender with some olive oil and spoon it on top of the soup. It's nothing fancy, but it sure is good and really healthy.

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Posted by carrielamont (from Milton, MA) on December 22, 2007 at 1:16 PM:

I love lentils too - but noone else in my family will eat any legumes except frozen peas and maybe the occasional peanut M&M. Wish me luck! x, Carrie

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Posted by GrammysGardenAZ (from Cochise, AZ) on December 22, 2007 at 3:53 PM:

Great article. When do we expect a follow up? Info about growing? You write such interesting articles but always leave me thirsty!

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Posted by Dea (from Frederick, MD) on December 22, 2007 at 4:35 PM:

Look for a true "chuckle" on Christmas Eve ;)

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Posted by gessiegail (from Taft, TX) on December 22, 2007 at 7:01 PM:

What a fabulous article. I love all legumes but had no idea exactly what the lentil provided in nutrition as I am trying to learn for a new diet. Can't wait to try the spinach on the top (would never ever have thought of that).

Thanks again for a job enjoyed by all!
gail

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Posted by gloria125 (from Greensboro, AL) on December 22, 2007 at 7:16 PM:

Hi Dea: I enjoyed this article. Since I am a vegetarian, lentils are a staple with me. Sometimes its hard to find all the varieties. Yes. I would like to know more about growing them.

Merry Christmas!

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Posted by Dea (from Frederick, MD) on December 22, 2007 at 7:32 PM:

gloria - you are a professor of archeologogy, correct? I'd love to have your in-sight on the early digs they were found in :) What a fascinating find, eh? I should have asked prior to writing the article so as to have been able to include any info you might have!

We're currently building a new homestead and are researching growing them for a cover crop as everthing we've heard is all good. I surely hope to find a way to grow these.

Anyone out there cropping these? We've no experience .... yet !!

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Posted by gloria125 (from Greensboro, AL) on December 22, 2007 at 7:54 PM:

Dea. Its been a long long time since I taught archeology. All I remember is that seeds are very well preserved in cave like situations and in some cases they will still germinate even though they are thousands of years old.

In our excavations we always kept a control column in each excavated square, which was floated for seed recovery. I never worked on any agricultural sites, though.

I don't remember seeing lentils in any of the seed catalogs I get or when Ive done searches for cover crops. I know they are a staple in India and Iran. They may need a long growth season. Id have to do some searches to find out. I guess you could go to your health food store and plant some and see what happens. Ive read, too, that lentil sprouts are very nutritious.

You raise some interesting questions.

gloria

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Posted by oldflowerchild (from Dodd City, TX) on December 24, 2007 at 9:54 AM:

Great article. Thanks. I would like the spinich and lentle soup recipe too!

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Posted by oldflowerchild (from Dodd City, TX) on December 24, 2007 at 9:56 AM:

Whoope - just saw where you had already posted the recipe. Thanks!

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Posted by soive2000 (from Austin, TX) on December 24, 2007 at 10:28 AM:

My mother used to make a lentil stew. Some hungarian dish. I have yet to find the recipe, and I long to make it and taste again. Alas, I cannot find her old recipe book that I used to have. Somehow got misplaced in one of my many moves.
Thank you for the very informative article,
Happy Holidays,
Anita

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Posted by Dea (from Frederick, MD) on December 24, 2007 at 10:40 AM:

soive2000 - perhaps this link might be close to your mother's recipe? I'll keep looking :)

[HYPERLINK@www.astray.com]

Dea

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Posted by chickenrancher (from Nova, OH) on December 25, 2007 at 4:02 PM:

Thanks for the recipe! I can't wait to try it.
As for growing seed I looked up on several sites and these sites carry them:

[HYPERLINK@www.heirloomacresseeds.com] 1 variety
[HYPERLINK@www.psrseed.com] 1 variety
[HYPERLINK@www.bountifulgardens.org] 2 varieties
[HYPERLINK@www.felcopruners.net]
5 varieties
[HYPERLINK@www.victoryseeds.com] 6 varieties

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Posted by GranvilleSouth (from Sydney
(Australia)) on December 26, 2007 at 6:50 PM:

Traditional Indian Dhaal is easy to make & is one of the nicest lentil dishes around. Goes great with rice, yoghurt & diced cucumber. Throw a bit of coriander on. Beautiful.

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Posted by Dea (from Frederick, MD) on December 26, 2007 at 6:56 PM:

Thanks everyone - yes, Dhaal is so good - thanks GranvilleSouth - I'm so excited that someone from Austraila read and commented - WOW!!! And thanks chickenrancher for those sites - so nice to meet you via d-mail :)

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Posted by gloria125 (from Greensboro, AL) on December 27, 2007 at 10:56 AM:

Aren't lentils themselves seeds? You should be able to grow them if they are purchased from an organic food store to make sure that they have not been treated to prevent sprouting.

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Posted by Dea (from Frederick, MD) on December 27, 2007 at 11:03 AM:

Yes they are and the ones we purchase are untreated. I think we were more curious about the growth habits and harvesting rather than finding the lentils as we have plenty :)

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