Although lentils tend to suffer less from disease than do other legume — Lentil

"Lentil is sometimes called “poor mans meat”. Such a description originated in ancient Europe. In India and many other countries, lentil is equally relished by all levels of society. Nevertheless, there may exist a relationship between poverty and lentil consumption as in earlier times, which led the ancient Greeks to describe the “nouveau rich”: “Now he does not like lentils anymore” (Ackroyd et al., 1982)."

"LENTIL (Lens esculenta) An annual leguminous plant much grown in Europe for its round, flat seeds, which are boiled like soup or cooked like s. The plant is little grown in this country. It requires a warm, sandy soil, and should be planted at about the time are. Sow in drills 18 to 24 inches and harvest when the stems begin to yellow. The seed may be beaten out with a flail after the pods are dry."

"... Lentil seeds dating back 8,000 years have been found at archeological sites in the Middle East. Lentils were mentioned in the Bible, both as an item that traded to for his birthright and as part of bread that was made during the of the Jewish people."

"Lentil (Lens culinaris Medlik.) is an important legume crop with respect to global production, trade, and consumption patterns. Lentil belongs to the family and is a self-pollinated crop. It is one of the highly valued pulse crops in farming systems. Lentil is an annual legume plant with its lens-shaped seed and is grown in more than 45 countries (Khazaei et al. 2019). An artificial (AI)-based research data search engine (Dimensions 2022) indicates there are than 147,000 publications, 75,000 patents, and over 150 s on lentils. These data clearly indicate the importance of lentils in todays world. The total world production of lentils was 5.61 million in 2021, which has more than doubled from 2.66 MT since 1991."

"... The lentil seeds are relatively higher in protein content (25%), carbohydrates and calories that other legumes (Muehlbauel et al. 1985). Its seeds are also a good source of essential minerals like , , and . Lentil seeds are used for various cuisines worldwide and most commonly used as main dishes, side dishes, as sprouted grain in salads with and rice. It is used as a staple of the diet in many Middle Eastern countries and India. Lentil flour can be used to prepare dishes such as soups, stews and s. The flour can be mixed with cereals to make breads and cakes and as food for infants (Williams and Singh 1988)."

"7.1.2 Lentil/Masoor Dal Masoor dal also known as red lentil is a prevalent pulse in Indian cuisines and widely utilized in diverse food products. It is a type of lentil with a reddish-orange color, a small size and can cook easily as compared to other lentils. It can be cooked without prior soaking like other pulses. To cook masoor dal, it is rinsed thoroughly and then cooked with water or broth until it becomes tender. It can be seasoned with various spices and herbs. Masoor dal is mainly consumed in the form of for lunch and dinner meals along with boiled rice, , and so forth. It is typically cooked with s, tomatoes, onions, and sometimes and . The combination of rice and dal is known by different names in different countries, for example in Nepal, it is known as dal bhat, and in Pakistan, it is known as dal chawal. Dal tadka is a popular variation of lentil curry where the cooked lentils/masoor dal are often tempered with spices like , s, garlic, and curry leaves."