French Green Lentils

Depending on the preparation, French green lentils can serve as comfort food or a gourmet treat. Valued for its peppery, earthy, nutty, slightly flinty taste and its substantive texture, this variety of lentil, originating in the volcanic soil of France’s Puy region, holds its shape in cooking. It creates an al dente presence in soups and adds welcome crunch to salads. Lentils figure in the cuisines of many countries. It is often the central ingredient of spicy Indian curries and figures in many Middle Eastern rice entrees. In European, North and South American cultures, lentils are popular in soups and often used as faster-cooking substitutes for dried beans.

In the Old Testament, Esau thought so highly of lentils that he sold out his birthright in exchange for a bowl of them. Ancient Egyptians considered the tasty legumes the food of the elite. In Ancient Greece, they were viewed as economical nutrition for the poor. Class-skewed perceptions notwithstanding, lentils are nutritional dynamos, high in protein and essential minerals. They grow in all sorts of soils. What’s more, they give back to Mother Earth. Like all legumes, their roots attract nitrogen-generating bacteria that enrich the soil. Not surprisingly, lentils number among the world’s oldest food crops. Evidence of lentil cultivation dating from 8000 BC has been found near the Euphrates River in what is now Syria.

A substantial source of folate and other B vitamins, lentils are often recommended for pregnant women. The legume’s high (soluble) fiber content contributes to cardiac health by reducing low-density lipids. As a complex carbohydrate, the lentil may balance blood sugar levels.