All Lentils Explained in 15 Minutes

Brown lentils. They have been eaten by humans for over 13,000 years, making them one of the oldest foods ever grown on purpose. Scientists found lentil remains in caves in Greece that date back that far, which means people were cooking with them long before they had metal tools or written language. Brown lentils are the ones you are most likely to see in a regular grocery store. They have a mild, earthy flavor that is hard to describe but easy to like. When you cook them, they get soft and a little mushy, which makes them perfect for soups, stews, and thick sauces. They do not need to be soaked overnight like dried beans do. You just rinse them and drop them in boiling water and they are ready in about 20-30 minutes. Most lentil soups around the world are made with brown lentils because they are easy to find, cheap to buy, and they blend into the broth without standing out too much. They are also packed with protein and iron, which is why people who do not eat meat often use them as a replacement. Green lentils. These take a little longer to cook than brown lentils, but many cooks prefer them because they hold their shape even after sitting in hot water for a long time. That firm texture makes them great for salads and side dishes where you want the lentils to look like individual pieces rather than mush. They have a slightly peppery taste that is stronger than brown lentils. France is famous for a specific kind of green lentil grown in a region called Lepuy. Those lentils are so well respected that the French government gave them a protected label, meaning only lentils grown in that specific area can carry the name. Farmers have been growing them in that volcanic soil for centuries, and the minerals in the ground are believed to be part of what gives them their unique flavor. You will find green lentils used a lot in European cooking, especially in French and Italian dishes. Red lentils. These are probably the second most recognized lentil after brown, and they behave very differently in the kitchen. Red lentils fall apart almost completely when cooked, turning into a thick, creamy paste. That quality makes them the backbone of dishes like Indian dal, which is a spiced lentil dish eaten by hundreds of millions of people every single day across South Asia. India grows and consumes more lentils than any other country in the world, and red lentils are a huge part of that. They cook faster than almost any other lentil, sometimes in just 15 minutes, and they do not need soaking either. Their color is actually more of an orange than a true red, and they come from green or brown lentils that have had their outer skin removed. That process of removing the skin is what gives them their bright color and their soft, quick-cooking texture. They have a sweet, mild flavor that absorbs spices beautifully. If you want to keep learning about everyday things in a simple and clear way, hitting subscribe only takes a second and helps us make more videos like this one. It's free and you can always change your mind later. Black lentils. These are sometimes called beluga lentils because when they are cooked, they look almost exactly like beluga caviar, the tiny black fish eggs that wealthy people pay enormous amounts of money to eat. Black lentils are tiny, shiny, and hold their shape very well after cooking, just like green lentils. They have a rich, earthy flavor that some people describe as slightly nutty. They are considered by many chefs to be the most elegant-looking lentil, which is why you see them served in nicer restaurants rather than just in home kitchens. They are also one of the most nutritious lentils you can eat. They contain high amounts of antioxidants, which are substances that help protect your body's cells. Black lentils are grown mostly in Canada and India and they are becoming more popular in western countries as people discover them. French green lentils. These deserve their own explanation even though they were mentioned briefly before, because they are genuinely different from regular green lentils in ways that matter. They come specifically from the Pouy region of France, a high plateau made of ancient volcanic rock. The soil there contains minerals that regular farm soil does not have and the climate is cool and dry in a particular way. All of those conditions together create a lentil with a firmer skin, a deeper flavor, and a texture that barely softens no matter how long you cook it. Chefs all over the world seek them out specifically because of that reliable firmness. They are also smaller and darker than regular green lentils, with a slight blue-gray tinge. You will pay more for them than for standard green lentils, but many people who cook with them regularly say they are worth every extra cent. Yellow lentils. These are similar to red lentils in the sense that they have had their outer skin removed, which is why they cook quickly and break down into a soft smooth texture. They have a mild slightly sweet flavor and turn a pale golden color when cooked. In Indian cooking they are called depending on which variety they come from, and they are used in everything from thick porridges eaten at breakfast to crispy fried snacks. Yellow lentils made from split mung beans, which are called mong dal, are considered one of the easiest foods to digest, which is why they are often given to babies, elderly people, and anyone recovering from illness in South Asian households. They have been a part of Indian medicine and cooking traditions for thousands of years. Outside of South Asia, yellow lentils are gaining attention from health-focused cooks because of their gentle effect on digestion. Pie lentils. These are technically the same as French green lentils from Lepuy, but the name is used so often in recipes and on packaging that it functions almost like its own category in cooking conversations. When a recipe says to use Puy lentils, it is telling you something specific about the texture and flavor it wants. It wants that firm bite, that slightly mineral taste, and that reliable shape after cooking. The French began cultivating lentils in the Puy region during the Middle Ages, and monks played a significant role in maintaining those crops over the centuries. Today, farmers in that region follow strict guidelines about how the lentils are grown and harvested to protect the product's reputation. The protected status they carry in Europe means that a bag labeled Puy lentils has to meet specific standards before it can be sold under that name. Acaciatos lentils. These are a large, pale Mexican lentil that is not well known outside of Mexico and parts of Central America, but they have a devoted following among people who grew up eating them. They are much bigger than most lentils, roughly the size of a small pea, and they have a thick, hearty texture that holds up well in slow-cooked dishes. Their flavor is described as bold and somewhat nutty, which makes them a natural fit for the rich, spiced stews that are common in Mexican home cooking. They are harder to find in stores outside of Latin American grocery shops, but they represent an important part of lentil history because they show how deeply lentils became embedded in food cultures far from where the plant originally came from. Lentils were brought to the Americas by Spanish colonizers, and local people eventually made them entirely their own. Masoor lentils. The word masoor simply means lentil in Hindi, but in the context of cooking it usually refers to the whole, unsplit version of the red lentil, with the brownish-red skin still on. When that skin is removed and the lentil is split in half, it becomes the orange-red lentil that most people recognize. Masoor lentils are one of the most widely eaten foods in Bangladesh, where lentil soup made with them is considered a daily staple in the same way that rice is. They have a more complex flavor than split red lentils because the skin adds an earthy bitterness that balances out the natural sweetness of the inside. They are also a little more nutritious than their skinned version because the outer layer contains additional fiber and nutrients. Cooks who want a lentil that behaves like a red lentil, but with a slightly deeper flavor often choose whole masoor for that reason. Petite crimson lentils. These are a variety of red lentil that is even smaller than the standard red lentil, and they dissolve into a smooth texture faster than almost any other type. They were developed relatively recently compared to most lentils, with commercial growing operations expanding significantly in the early 2000s. Canada became one of the largest producers of this variety, and a lot of what gets exported from Canadian farms to the rest of the world is petite crimson. Their small size means they can be ground into flour more easily than larger lentils, and lentil flour made from them is used in gluten-free baking as a protein-rich alternative to wheat flour. They have the same mild, slightly sweet flavor as regular red lentils, but their texture when cooked is even smoother and silkier, which makes them popular in baby food and health-focused food products. Layered lentils. These are a large green lentil variety developed in Canada in the 1960s by scientists working to create a lentil that could grow well in the cold Canadian prairies. Before that point, lentils were grown almost entirely in South Asia and the Middle East because people assumed the plants needed warm weather. The development of layered lentils changed that completely, and Canada is now one of the top lentil-producing countries in the entire world. Saskatchewan, a flat cold province in central Canada, grows an enormous percentage of the world's lentil supply because of work that began with varieties like layered. These lentils are medium green, slightly speckled, and have a mild flavor that works well in soups and side dishes. They are not as widely recognized by name as French green lentils, but they are responsible for making lentils affordable and accessible to people all over the globe. Pardina lentils. These come from Spain and have been grown there for centuries, making them one of Europe's oldest cultivated lentil varieties. They are small and brown with tiny speckles across their skin, and Spanish cooks prize them for something that most other lentils cannot do as reliably, which is stay completely firm even after long periods of cooking in liquid. That quality makes them the lentil of choice for traditional Spanish stews called cositos, where everything simmers together slowly for a long time and the lentils need to hold their shape through the whole process. They have a rich, nutty flavor that deepens the longer they cook without ever turning mushy. Outside of Spain, they are still fairly difficult to find, but food writers and chefs who specialize in Spanish cuisine consistently describe them as one of the finest lentils in the world. Growing them requires specific dry conditions, and the regions of Castile and Aragon in central Spain have been producing them in significant quantities for generations. Estone lentils. These are a small green lentil variety that was also developed in Canada, like the Laird, but they behave quite differently in the kitchen. Estone lentils are tiny and dark green, and they cook down relatively quickly while still managing to keep a slight firmness in their center. They have an earthy, mild flavor that some people find even more pleasant than larger green varieties because the flavor feels more concentrated in such a small package. One of the most interesting things about Estone lentils is that they were specifically bred to have a thin seed coat, which means less of that slightly bitter outer skin flavor compared to other green lentils. They are used heavily in canned lentil products because their size and texture survive the canning process better than larger varieties. Most people have eaten Estone lentils without ever knowing it because they end up inside cans and packaged soups sold under brand names that never mention the variety at all. Crimson lentils. These are worth separating from standard red lentils, even though the two are closely related, because crimson lentils have been specifically selected and bred for an even brighter orange-red color and a slightly sweeter flavor profile. Food companies and restaurants have taken notice of that vivid color because it makes finished dishes look more visually appealing, which matters a great deal in an era when people photograph their food before eating it. Crimson lentils dissolve into soup just as completely as regular red lentils do, but the color they leave behind in the broth is noticeably more vibrant. Some nutritional studies have found that the deep pigmentation in crimson lentils corresponds to higher levels of certain antioxidants compared to paler lentil varieties, though researchers are still studying exactly what that means for human health. They are grown primarily in the United States and Canada and have become increasingly common in specialty grocery stores over the last decade as consumer interest in colorful photogenic ingredients has grown. Umbrian lentils. These come from the Castelluccio Plateau in central Italy, a high plain sittings above 3,000 meters that floods with wildflowers every spring. The isolation of that plateau and the poor rocky soil have produced a lentil unlike anything grown in richer farmland. Castelluccio lentils, as they are formally known, are tiny, speckled with multiple shades of brown and green, and they cook in under 20 minutes without any soaking. Their flavor is intensely savory and complex in a way that surprises people who only know the milder supermarket varieties. Like Puy lentils in France, they carry a protected geographical status in Europe, meaning only lentils grown on that specific plateau can legally bear the name. Restaurants in Umbria and Rome serve them simply with olive oil and herbs because the flavor is strong enough to need very little help. They are considered a national treasure by Italian food culture and have been eaten in that region since Roman times. Split yellow peas. Technically, these come from a dried field pea rather than a true lentil, but they behave so similarly in the kitchen and appear in so many of the same cooking traditions that they are frequently discussed in the same breath. They have had their outer skin removed and been split in half, just like red or yellow lentils, and they dissolve completely when cooked into a thick golden soup. Split pea soup is one of the oldest prepared foods in European history, appearing in ancient Greek and Roman writings as street food sold to workers and travelers. Their flavor is earthy and slightly sweet, softer than most lentils, and they pair naturally with smoked meats in northern European and American cooking traditions. Countries like the Netherlands, Canada, and Sweden have national dishes built around split pea soup that have been eaten in essentially the same form for hundreds of years. Rosso di Onano. These are grown in a small volcanic area of the Lazio region in Italy in the territory surrounding the town of Onano. They are deep reddish brown on the outside and have been cultivated in that specific area for at least 400 years according to local agricultural records. What makes them unusual is that they are a whole lentil with their skin intact that still cooks relatively quickly, in about 25 minutes without losing their shape. Their flavor combines the earthiness of a brown lentil with a richness that local cooks attribute to the mineral content of the volcanic soil beneath the fields. They nearly disappeared in the 20th century as industrial agriculture shifted farmers toward higher yield crops, but a revival effort led by local farmers and food preservation organizations has brought them back. Today they are considered part of Italy's slow food heritage and are actively protected from extinction by cultural organizations. Masty lentils. These are a variety grown in parts of Turkey and the broader Middle East that remains almost entirely unknown outside of regional markets and specialty importers. They are medium-sized, pale brown, and have a particularly thin outer skin that gives them a soft almost silky texture when cooked through. Turkish home cooking uses them in a preparation called Mersamek Çorbası, a red lentil soup that is considered one of the country's most beloved comfort foods, but Masty varieties also appear in slow-cooked dishes where a softer texture is preferred over the firm bite of heartier European lentils. Turkey is among the world's significant lentil producers, though its varieties rarely receive the same international attention as those from France, Spain, or India. Food researchers studying lentil biodiversity have noted that the genetic diversity among lentil varieties grown across Turkey and the surrounding region is exceptionally high, suggesting that this area was one of the original centers where lentil first developed thousands of years ago. Lentils Verts du Berry. These come from the Berry region of central France and are sometimes described as the quieter cousin of the more famous Puy lentil. They received their own protected geographical indication from the European Union in 2008, recognizing that the specific combination of soil and climate in that part of France produces a distinct product. They are slightly larger than Puy lentils and a brighter, more uniformly green color. Their flavor is clean and mild, with less of the mineral intensity that Puy lentils are known for, which some cooks prefer because it makes them more versatile in dishes where the lentil is meant to absorb other flavors rather than assert its own. French supermarkets stock them regularly alongside Puy lentils, and regional French cooking uses them in everything from simple vinaigrette-dressed salads to long-simmered preparations with root vegetables and herbs. They represent the way that even within a single country, geography can produce meaningfully different versions of the same ingredient.