Lentils and peas belong to the legume family and are useful products for humans. However, these are still different cultures that differ from each other. You will read about the benefits and harms of each of them, as well as the difference in them, in this article.

Peas and Lentils: Comparative Description

Both peas and lentils are actively used in cooking as valuable sources of vegetable protein, as well as vitamins and minerals. They are recommended to be surely consumed by those who have refused to eat meat, as well as those who prefer a healthy diet. We offer to understand how the fruits of these plants differ and which of them are more useful.

Did you know? Lentils are considered one of the oldest crops in the Legume family. During the excavation, beans were found on the territory of modern Switzerland in buildings erected during the Bronze Age.

Chemical composition

Both lentils and peas have fruits - beans. These are pods that contain grains located in a row. Their size, shape and color depend on the type and variety of plants.

As for the chemical composition, you can find it in the table:

If we briefly analyze the above tables, we can note that the nutritional value and calorie content of the products are almost identical. As for the vitamin-mineral composition, lentils are significantly superior to peas in the content of folic and ascorbic acid, sodium, phosphorus, iron, iodine, cobalt, manganese, but inferior to it in the amount of vitamins H, K, selenium.

Beneficial features

• Among the beneficial properties of lentils are worth mentioning such:
• contributes to the speedy recovery of muscles after physical exertion;
• improves blood circulation;
• prevents the development of diseases of the heart and blood vessels;
• normalizes blood cholesterol;
• improves brain activity;
• normalizes metabolism and digestion;
• eliminates dry skin;
• prevents the development of cancer;
• strengthens the immune system;
• removes toxins.

• Peas are able to provide such beneficial actions:
• diuretic;
• removal of acid from the stomach;
• antioxidant;
• a decrease in the likelihood of developing cancer, heart disease and blood vessels;
• inhibition of aging processes;
• normalization of blood glucose levels;
• strengthening immunity;
• improvement of brain activity;
• energy supply;
• digestion and metabolism;
• activation of fat metabolism;
• improving the condition of the skin, hair, nails.

Harmful properties

Lentils can be harmful if consumed excessively or if a person has individual intolerance. It can lead to bloating, discomfort in the intestines. Peas can cause exacerbation of gastrointestinal tract diseases, increase flatulence.

Time and cooking methods

There are many recipes for cooking peas and lentils. Here are the most common and simple.

Important! Pea dishes should be salted at the very end. Otherwise, it will fall apart, and this, in turn, will lead to a loss of taste.

Peas are common in the cuisines of many nations. Salads, side dishes, mashed potatoes, soups, baking toppings, cereals, meatballs are made from it. In order for grains to be cooked faster, they must be soaked before cooking for 2-3 hours. Another way is to rinse the grains until the water becomes clear.

A popular pea soup is cooked as follows:

1. Put 1.5 tbsp in the pan. washed and soaked peas, 300 g chicken.
2. Pour in water and boil the broth. Cook for 50-60 minutes.
3. Chop 1 onion.
4. Grind one carrot on a coarse grater.
5. Place vegetables in a pan, add vegetable oil and fry until soft.
6. Introduce salt, turmeric, ground black pepper.
7. Cut into pieces 2 potatoes.
8. When the peas reach readiness, put potatoes and salt.
9. After boiling the potatoes, toss the bay leaf.
10. Put the fried vegetables.
11. Cook for 5-6 minutes.
12. The cooking time is 2 hours.

Video: How to make pea soup

Lentils are used in salads, main dishes, side dishes, sauces, sweet dishes, pastes, meatballs, mashed potatoes, stews. The duration of its cooking depends on the type and variety. For example, the red look does not have a shell, so it can be cooked in 15–20 minutes. White beans are the hardest. The process of cooking them can take 50-60 minutes, so it’s better to soak them for a couple of hours before cooking.

Important! Cutlets must not be fried for a long time on high heat before browning. It’s not worth tormenting them. Since they have no eggs, they can quickly fall apart.

Unusual and delicious lentil cutlets are obtained. They are prepared as follows:

1. Soak overnight 1.5 cups of lentils.
2. Change the water in bean grains and put them on the stove.
3. Cook for 10-15 minutes.
4. Dice 2 small onions.
5. Grind 2 large carrots with a grater.
6. In a frying pan with vegetable oil, fry the onions until golden brown, then add carrots to it.
7. Cover and simmer over low heat until soft.
8. Place the lentils in a colander to drain excess fluid.
9. After cooling the vegetables, mix them with grains and pass 2 times through a meat grinder or grind with a blender to a homogeneous mass.
10. Introduce the salt, seasoning “Sunflower hops”.
11. Form cutlets.
12. Fry in vegetable oil and high heat on both sides.
13. The frying time should be approximately 2 minutes on each side.

Video: The most delicious lentil cutlets

Indications and contraindications for the use of peas and lentils

Since the benefits and harms of peas and lentils are different, each of these products is recommended for use by certain categories of people and has clear contraindications for use.

So, lentils and peas are good for both adults and children. They have a rich vitamin and mineral composition, are very high in calories and contain a large amount of vegetable protein.

Did you know? The walls of the ancient buildings of the times of the Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II were decorated with images of how people eat lentil soup, as well as how this dish is prepared.