13: Lentils

The lentil is one of the world's oldest known food crops. Lentils are a flat legume that are shaped like a lens, and are very small in size, ranging from 2 mm to 9 mm in diameter. They are the seeds of bushy plants that only grow to approximately 50 cm in height. The plant grows well on flat land that is free from sticks and stones. Weeds can be a problem for lentil plants as they do not compete well with them.

Lentil plants prefer soil that is not too waterlogged, it needs to drain well, so they generally prefer drier growing conditions. Growing lentils, like other plants from the legume family, can be very good for soil that has lost a lot of its nutrients. Lentils are able to enrich the soil with nitrogen.

In Australia, there are three main lentils that we use to cook with, brown lentils, red lentils (which are really orange in colour) and puy lentils. Puy lentils are green-grey in colour and were once only available as an import from France, making them very expensive. Now they are grown in Australia. In countries like India and the Middle East, where dried lentils have been a staple food for many years, up to 50 different types are grown. They are an important staple food, because when combined with rice, another staple food in these regions, they form complete proteins which are essential to a healthy diet.

Lentils are very nutritious and high in fibre. They are also full of carbohydrates. Australians do not eat a lot of lentils, although as we learn more about their health benefits, this may change. At the moment, we tend to eat many more grain based foods than lentils.

Dried lentils need to be cooked to make them easy to eat and digest. A popular lentil based meal that originates from India is dhal, which essentially means cooked, mushy lentils. It can have many flavours and spices added to it, and is often served with rice and a dollop of yoghurt.

Lentils are also added to soups and casseroles where they help to thicken the mixture and also make them more filling and nutritious. Lentils can be crushed and processed to make a flour. In India, a round, crispy style of bread called the pappadam is made from lentil flour that has been flavoured with spices. It can be cooked in oil and is served with the meal to add variety to the texture of the meal.