Brown Lentils

Name: Brown lentils (Lens culinaris) — the most common type of lentil, with an olive-brown to dark brown, flat, round seed with a mild, earthy flavour. They keep their shape fairly well, but become soft and a little mushy with longer cooking.

Description

Lentils (Lens culinaris) are one of the oldest cultivated crops in the world, domesticated in the Near East some 9,000 to 13,000 years ago, and have been a staple pulse of the Mediterranean, Middle East and South Asia since. Canada is now the largest producer, followed by India.

Brown lentils are the everyday lentil in much of the world, and the one most likely to be sold in a supermarket under the plain name “lentils.” They are a pantry staple, and are cheap, quick-cooking and nutritious, ideal for soups, stews, shepherd's pie, curries and veggie burgers.

Main nutrition value

Brown lentils are an excellent source of plant protein and fibre, and provide folate, iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc, with little fat.

How best to be consumed

Brown lentils are cooked from dry, with no need to soak.

1. Rinse, and simmer in plenty of water or stock for 20 to 30 minutes until tender.
2. Use in soups, stews, shepherd's pie, bolognese sauces, lentil loaves and burgers.
3. Cook with onion, garlic, bay leaf and herbs, and add salt or acid near the end.
4. Add to salads once cooked and cooled, or serve with rice.
5. Pick through for small stones before cooking.

Overconsumption could cause…

Brown lentils are healthy in food amounts when cooked.

1. Bloating and gas from the fermentable carbohydrates (oligosaccharides) in pulses, particularly if you are not used to eating them, so build up gradually and drink water.
2. Allergic reactions in a small number of people allergic to legumes, and cross-reaction between chickpeas, lentils and peanuts in some.
3. Reduced absorption of iron, zinc and calcium from the phytates in dried pulses, which soaking and thorough cooking reduce.
4. Gout flare-ups in people with gout, since pulses contain moderate purines, although plant purines seem to carry less risk than those from meat.

GroupsLentilsLegume familyHigh fibreHigh proteinLow fatLow sodiumRich in folateRich in ironRich in potassiumRich in zinc

Related foodsFrench Green LentilsGreen LentilsPuy LentilsYellow LentilsMoong DalMasoor Dal

Wikipedia — Lentil, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lentil