(This book is one-half of THE LENTIL COUPLET PROJECT. The project consists of two companion books on lentils [two separate books] ). "These two books overflow with information. Lorenz Schaller seems to know everything about lentils, from their origins in Kurdistan to Pliny the Elder's estimation of their benefits for maintaining 'even temperament' right up to recent breeding experiments. He is somehow judicious and thorough about what he shares, and the effect is like an hour or so spent talking with an endearing professor ...
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(This book is one-half of THE LENTIL COUPLET PROJECT. The project consists of two companion books on lentils [two separate books] ). "These two books overflow with information. Lorenz Schaller seems to know everything about lentils, from their origins in Kurdistan to Pliny the Elder's estimation of their benefits for maintaining 'even temperament' right up to recent breeding experiments. He is somehow judicious and thorough about what he shares, and the effect is like an hour or so spent talking with an endearing professor at an off-campus party. His gentle enthusiasm for the subject disarms any sense of being lectured." "Along with many useful recipes - lentils are about as versatile as food gets - readers of these books will learn about heroes of plant research such as N.I. Vavilov and Helena Barulina, pay a brief visit to the beginnings of human civilization and discover an interesting fact about the current Dalai Lama. Techniques of planting, crossing, threshing, winnowing, oven baking and much more are described succinctly. A friend and colleague of John Jeavons, Schaller makes a compelling case that lentils are an ideal crop for small-scale, urban or mini-farmers. Both books are concise, barely exceeding 200 pages combined, and the volume on history and culture is illustrated generously with maps, photos, and diagrams." (Book review by Chris Walters, Contributing Editor, Acres U.S.A. Published in Acres U.S.A., February 2014, page 90).
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