But even in the Palouse, only a few restaurants regularly feature lentil dishes other than soup.

The cuisines of Spain as well as Egypt and other North African countries also include lentil dishes.

Nirmal D'Costa, owner of the Delhi Palace on 74th Street, said he was forced to raise the prices on some of his lentil dishes.

All entrees are served with rice, dal (a traditional lentil dish in Indian meals, usually eaten with the rice) and assorted condiments.

Parippu - A thick lentil dish eaten with rice, papadum and ghee.

Next on the thali is dal, the all-purpose word for the lentil dishes that traditionally accompany Indian meals.

With these we had one of the four lentil dishes on the menu.

All the breads are wonderful accompaniments to the creamy lentil dish, dal, and the restorative yogurt-based mixture called raita.

The buffet offers green salad, entrees from the tandoor oven and one curry dish, pilaf, dal (a rich lentil dish), excellent Indian breads and dessert.

There are so many wonderful lentil dishes, but green lentils take more time to cook than most of us are willing to spend.