Lentil purée with onion and cumin
A creamy purée of lentils long simmered with onion, garlic, and cumin, finished with a drizzle of oil. The staple dish of daily life, eaten with bread used as a spoon.
A creamy purée of lentils long simmered with onion, garlic, and cumin, finished with a drizzle of oil. The staple dish of daily life, eaten with bread used as a spoon.
Do not think, mortal, that I look only upon feasts. It is I who make the lentil rise in the black silt, and this simple dish is what my peasants ate in the evening, crouched by the water. A handful of lentils, the sharp onion, the warming cumin, and bread to scrape the bowl. Honor me thus, in humility: for the poor man who eats his fill prays to me as well as the priest.
- •Lentils — a good measure (base)
- •Onion — one or two (aromatic)
- •Garlic — a few cloves (aromatic)
- •Cumin — a pinch (spice)
- •Oil (sesame or olive), salt — a drizzle (binding and flavor)
Lentil purée with onion and cumin
A creamy purée of lentils long simmered with onion, garlic, and cumin, finished with a drizzle of oil. The staple dish of daily life, eaten with bread used as a spoon.
Why this dish? Osiris is the god of agriculture and the grain that feeds the people. Lentils, cultivated throughout the Delta, were the humble, nourishing dish of the peasants who worked his land; offering them returns to the god what he makes grow.
Do not think, mortal, that I look only upon feasts. It is I who make the lentil rise in the black silt, and this simple dish is what my peasants ate in the evening, crouched by the water. A handful of lentils, the sharp onion, the warming cumin, and bread to scrape the bowl. Honor me thus, in humility: for the poor man who eats his fill prays to me as well as the priest.
Ingredients (period version)
- Lentils — a good measure (base)
- Onion — one or two (aromatic)
- Garlic — a few cloves (aromatic)
- Cumin — a pinch (spice)
- Oil (sesame or olive), salt — a drizzle (binding and flavor)
Ingredients
- Brown or red lentils — 250 g (base)
- Onion — 1 large (aromatic)
- Garlic — 3 cloves (aromatic)
- Ground cumin — 1 tsp (spice)
- Olive or sesame oil, salt — 3 tbsp, salt to taste (binding and flavor)
Method
- Sauté sliced onion in oil until golden; add garlic and cumin.
- Add rinsed lentils and cover generously with water.
- Simmer 30–40 minutes until lentils fall apart.
- Season with salt; mash roughly with a fork for a purée texture.
- Drizzle with raw oil and serve warm, with bread for dipping.
How it was made : Legumes (lentils, fava beans, chickpeas) formed the backbone of the common diet. Lentils have been found in funerary provisions in many tombs; they traveled well and fed teams of builders.
The contemporary twist : Top with a spoonful of crispy fried onions and you have the distant ancestor of koshari, the king of modern Cairo street food.
Sources : Funerary provisions from the tomb of Kha, Deir el-Medina · Pierre Tallet, La cuisine de l'Égypte ancienne
Osiris · Charactorium
