Lentils have a pr problem. I know, their colour is not so attractive. I know, if you cook them, it doesn’t get any better. If you do not watch out, it will look like baby food. But because the beauty of lentils is to be found on the inside, I find their appearance absolutely attractive. I get very happy when I set my sight on them. I look forward to the moment I will find them on my plate. I happily take a bag of green lentils off the shelf and respectfully take them to the cash register.
With lentils it’s like with boiled carrot or maybe with fish your grandma used to prepare for you when you were small. If you don’t prepare them with attention, if you don’t think about or know how to prepare them in the best possible way, then it won’t taste any good. The point is that lentils apparently do not inspire to get creative. Or that lentils are associated with a bad or boring preparation. Ouch, that hurts.
Long before I went vegan I was a big fan of lentils. In Arabic cuisine, they know how to prepare them super well. And French cuisine loves the most delicious ways of preparing lentils. There is a variety of recipes that do justice to lentils. Authentic classic recipes, true taste bombs. Recipes that give lentils a central place in a dish and simply let you party with them. In which lentils are not used as a meat substitute because they are so full of protein, but simply as the main ingredient of a fantastic dish. Rightfully so. Because they’re so delicious. On à la Damaris you will find many delicious dishes with lentils, so ‘eat your heart out’ I would say. Tribute to lentils. Let’s help them get a different image. I will do my utmost best, anyway.