Berbere Lentils Recipe [Yemisir Wat] - Celebration Generation (2024)

FAQs

What is the Italian tradition of lentils? ›

Italian tradition says that the more lentils you eat around New Year's Eve, the more luck, wealth, and prosperity you'll have for the future! Superstition aside, lentils are incredibly healthy and nutritious. Just what our bodies need after days and days of feasting on rich holiday food.

Heat the sunflower oil in a pan and soften the onions. Add the chopped garlic and berbere, stir for 1 minute, and follow with the red lentils (drained and rinsed, if soaked). Add boiling water to cover the lentils and then the same amount of water again.

The coin shaped lentils symbolize prosperity and once cooked, increase in size, evoking the idea of ​​abundance. Traditionally, lentils should be eaten just after the stroke of midnight. The more lentils you eat, the more the new year will be full of wealth, luck, and prosperity.

Popular Italian New Year's dishes include pork and lentils. Pork – usually in the form of cotechino (cooked sausage) or zampone (pig trotter) – represents life's fullness and richness to come. Lentils, similarly, are eaten because they look like miniature coins—portending a prosperous new year ahead.

Hot peppers used to make spice blends such as berbere are rich in capsaicin — an antioxidant that gives hot peppers their heat. Capsaicin may improve blood sugars and lower cholesterol levels.

Lentils are a versatile staple of Ethiopian cuisine, and a great source of both protein and fiber with a nutty flavor. They can be prepared as a stew, mixed with vegetables in a stir fry, added to cold salads, or used as part of an appetizer, as in fried sambusas.

Tibs: Sliced beef or lamb, pan fried in butter, garlic and onion, tibs is one of the most popular dishes among Ethiopians. Shekla tibs (pictured) is served in a clay pot.

According to tradition, each lentil symbolizes a coin. Those who partake in lentils on the first day of the New Year are believed to have a full wallet throughout the entire year.

In many countries lentils are considered one of the most protein-rich and essential foods in the local diet and they have come to symbolise abundance and fortune.

Lentils add essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber to the diet. They also provide protein and are an excellent replacement for meat in meals. When a person replaces meat in the diet with a high fiber food, such as lentils, they decrease their risk of heart disease.

What culture eats the most lentils? ›

In India, where roughly half of the world's lentils are consumed, cultivation dates back to 2500 B.C. Today, more than 50 different varieties are grown. Nearly every traditional Indian meal includes at least one lentil dish, and they are an important source of nutrients for millions of vegetarians on the subcontinent.