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Lentils have a lot to offer, because their variety is great. We introduce you to the best and most popular types and varieties of lentils.
An ancient crop, the lentil (Lens culinaris) has been bred in all imaginable directions. The result is countless varieties that are often only grown in small regions. Unfortunately, many of the regional varieties have been lost today. While the seeds of about 3,000 different types of lentils are still stored in what is probably the largest gene database in the world, only about 80 types are still cultivated worldwide. However, significantly fewer types of lentils are available in German-speaking countries.
Types and varieties of lentils
The lenses (Lens) include six different types of lenses. Two of them, Lens nigrans and Lens orientalis, are considered the ancestors of the kitchen lens (Lens culinaris ). It is the only type of lens in the lens family that is actually used. A rough classification of the lentil varieties can be made based on the seed size, which varies between three and over seven millimeters. Another way of grouping lentil varieties is by colour, which can be classic brown or green, black or purple.
Alb Leisa
The Leisa Alb lentils include three different regional varieties from the Swabian Alb. Because where lentils and spaetzle are practically the national dish, lentil cultivation has a long tradition. Unfortunately, the regional varieties of the Alb were no longer cultivated from 1966 and were almost thought to have disappeared. In 2006, a Swabian farmer finally rediscovered them in the Russian gene database for useful plants. Today three varieties are grown again: the two light green varieties 'Späths Alblinse 1' and 'Späths Alblinse 2' and a dark green marbled, small-seeded lentil variety.
Plate Lenses
Plate lenses are probably the most well-known lenses in German-speaking countries. This brownish-yellow variety is relatively large. When cooked, the lentils become soft and floury without falling apart. Not only are they excellent for rustic dishes like lentilsSuitable for stews, but also for delicious lentil spreads or casseroles.
Beluga lentils
This noble type of lentil with its small black seeds is characterized above all by its fine taste. The lentils remain firm and crunchy even when cooked and are the best basis for a tasty lentil salad. They probably originated in North America, where they are still widely cultivated today.
Berry lentils
These dark blue marbled lentils are aromatic. The skin of the small seeds is thin, but the inside remains quite firm when cooked. The Berry lentils come from the heart of France - this origin is even geographically protected. Berry lentils that are planted in another region may no longer be called berry lentils, even if they are of the same variety.
Puy lenses
As these green lentils have a very nutty aroma, they taste delicious in a salad. Their blue-green marbling makes them doubly attractive. The lentils come from a small region in central France, where they have been cultivated for over 1000 years. Because the Puy Lentils name is geographically protected, they are sold as Green Lentils when grown in other regions.
Mountain Lentils
Mountain lentils are actually not a real variety. They are more a group of different lenses from various mountainous regions. This makes them very inconsistent. The only thing they have in common is that they are all cultivated above 700m above sea level.
Yellow and red lentils are not actually lentil varieties of their own. Basically, these are just peeled brown lentils, such as a wide variety of mountain lentils. The difference between red and yellow lentils is not the color of the shell around the lens, but the color of the core. The classification of lentil varieties is further complicated by protected geographical indications. Puy lentils and Berry lentils, for example, also grow outside of the Puy and Berry regions, but then they can no longer be called Puy or Berry lentils, even though the variety is the same.
Once you've decided on a variety, here are tips on how to grow your lentils properly.