Lentils.
Next in usefulness to the haricot bean comes the German lentil. This must not be confounded with the Egyptian lentil, which closely resembles the split pea; for not only is the former double the price of the latter, but I may add double its worth also, at least from a culinary point of view.
In vegetarian cookery the lentil takes the place of the dark meats of the flesh-eaters' dietary, such as beef and mutton, the haricot bean supplying a substitute for the white, such as veal, chicken, etc.
The liquor in which lentils have been boiled forms a rich foundation for dark sauces, also a delicious and nourishing beverage, in flavour resembling beef-tea, can be obtained from them (see [Recipe No. 12]).
Besides being darker in colour, the flavour of lentils is much more pronounced than that of haricots.
Throughout the following recipes the word “lentil” means German lentil, without exception.