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Rancho Gordo- Dried Black Caviar lentils
Black Caviar Lentils-Rancho Gordo
Cooked black caviar lentils topped with half cut boiled egg and seeds-Rancho Gordo

Black Caviar Lentil

$ 6.25
Title

Free shipping on orders $50+

Description
Small, gentle, quick-cooking lentils with a luxurious flavor and texture. Firm yet creamy, they are sure to be your new best friend in the kitchen.

Hearty, small ebony lentils that resemble caviar but have a unique lentil taste and texture. The skins almost melt away. Versatile and indulgent, they are less common than brown or green lentils and are at home in both rustic dishes and elegant meals. 

We ignored lentils for years, but we will ignore them no longer! They are one of the earliest cultivated crops and have been a source of sustenance for humans for thousands of years. History aside, what we love about them is that they are quick-cooking, they taste delicious, and they only need a few aromatic vegetables and a splash of good olive oil to make a great meal.

Please note: These lentils were harvested on equipment shared with wheat. We are finding some wheat kernels mixed in with the lentils and if wheat is an allergen for you, we recommend avoiding this crop. As with all our crops, we recommend sorting and checking for organic debris, and rinsing well.

Cooking Suggestions

Salads, soups, stews

From the Rancho Gordo Kitchen

Ideal in soups and salads, or folded into yogurt as a perfect summer dish.

Cooking Instructions

Check lentils for debris, and rinse thoroughly. Place in a pot and add enough water to cover by about 2 inches. If you like, add aromatics like a bay leaf or garlic clove. Bring to a full boil, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer, using a lid to help regulate the heat, and gently cook until done, 25 to 35 minutes. Salt to taste. Remove aromatics, and serve.

Similar to

French Green Lentils, Black Beluga Lentils

Latin name

Lens culinaris

Country of origin

Canada


"Every day it seems like there's a new startup claiming high-protein cricket flour will heal the world, that we're supposedly on the verge of a golden age of lab-grown meat. When I hear about stuff like that lately, I can't help but think: when we've got lentils this good, why go through the trouble?"

Chris Cohen

Saveur Magazine

Customer Reviews

Based on 37 reviews Write a review

Black Caviar Lentil

$ 6.25
Frequent Cooking Questions

Should I soak my beans overnight before cooking?

There are many thoughts and no one perfect way to make beans. Soaking the beans will speed up the cooking but you have to wait to do it so how much time are you really saving? We often soak in the morning and cook the beans in the afternoon for dinner but we also just cook the beans and wait for them to be done. Most employees here start as avid soakers and end up just cooking without soaking. We feel a key step is to allow the beans to really come to a full boil for 10 to 15 minutes. Then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook until tender. See our Cooking page for tips and our master bean recipe.

Do you provide recipes?

We have an extensive Recipe Blog we've built over years as well as recipe books you can purchase. And if you're looking for a place to start, here's our How to Cook Beans in the Rancho Gordo Manner guide.

What about gas? How do I reduce it?

Another favorite subject! In our business, we call this a "Gift With Purchase." All I can say is Mexico and India, and other legume-eating countries don’t seem to be as obsessed about it as we are. I believe the more you eat, the less you are bothered, despite what the childish rhyme says. If you haven’t had beans in a long while and saddle up to a huge bowl of chili, chances are you may suffer. But when you incorporate beans into your daily diet, they rarely are a problem.

Many, many people believe that soaking the beans and changing the water helps.

Shipping Details

Free Shipping on each order $50 and over

FedEx Ground shipments, and one shipping location per order.

For orders less than $50: 
Our flat-fee shipping charges via FedEx Ground is $11 (regardless of weight)
One pound or One Thousand pounds, it's the same price. 

Our flat-fee shipping charge via US Postal Service is as follows:
$11 each 15 pounds
All shipments to Hawaii, Alaska, P.O. boxes, and APO/FPO/DPO addresses must go via USPS.

I just placed my order. When will I get my shipment?

It normally takes us 1 to 3 business days to process orders. If we are experiencing further shipping delays, we will add a note to the checkout page with further information.

We process and ship orders from Northern California Monday through Friday, via FedEx or US Postal Service. A shipment can take from 2 to 5 working days to be delivered after it leaves our warehouse, depending on where you live and what shipping service you selected. Please call us (707/259-1935) to arrange for faster shipping if you need your order to arrive sooner. 

Express Shipping?

Please call us (707/259-1935) to arrange for faster shipping if you need your order to arrive sooner. 

The Rancho Gordo Story

You Can Blame it All on the Dutch

I was shopping one August for tomatoes and, despite Napa being one of the world's most magnificent agricultural regions, all the tomatoes were from a hothouse in Holland! Worse, they were hard and pale pink instead of the ripe tomatoes I was craving. I started to grow my own tomatoes and this eventually led to beans.

My first harvested heirloom bean was Rio Zape. They were pretty and easy to grow but I had no idea what to expect when I cooked them. They were similar to the pintos I liked but there was so much more going on. Hints of chocolate and coffee mixed with an earthy texture made my head spin. I was blown away by Rio Zape and the other heirloom beans I was growing, but also really confused why they were such a big secret. I took the beans to the farmers market, organizing things on my kitchen table. Soon there was a warehouse, followed by more markets and mail order. It seems we had struck a nerve. People agreed that heirloom beans were worth saving, growing and cooking. Currently our warehouse, a retail shop, and offices are in Napa, California, and a stop here is part of many tours of the wine country. 

All of my agricultural pursuits have been based on being someone who likes to cook but gets frustrated by the lack of ingredients, especially those that are native to the Americas. One of the things that originally drew me to beans was the fact that they are indigenous to the Americas. It seems to me these indigenous ingredients should be familiar, if not common. American cuisine is re-inventing itself and I'd love to include ingredients, traditions and recipes from north and south of the border as part of the equation. I love the concept of The Americas. I feel as if it's just as important as the European heritage many of us share.

You can read more about the Rancho Gordo story here.

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