When we think of the cheapest, most affordable food available to Indians, we think of rice and dal. They provide enough nourishment and prevent hunger for quite some time.
Among the various dals available to Indians, the most commonly known is tur dal. Over time, tur dal travelled across the country and was made into many dishes. But initially, it was found in the Deccan plateau.
Archaeologists found seeds of tur dal—over 5400 years old—in the Deccan, which proved that the pulse came from India. Since then, it has travelled to many places through trade. It reached Africa, and from there, it went to Europe.
The Europeans identified it with Africa and called it the Congo pea. Later, when the British came to India, they called it pigeon pea.
The British thought Indian foods, especially vegetarian ones, did not provide protein like meat. According to them, lentils found in India were only fit for the mouths of pigeons—hence, they coined the term ‘pigeon pea’. Led by their ignorance, they mocked one of India’s most important staple foods.
But the British were right. A hundred grams of tur dal contains twenty-two grams of protein. In contrast, a hundred grams of chicken contains twenty-seven grams of protein—a five-gram difference can be covered by eating more dal.
Depending on one’s body weight, the human body requires around forty to eighty grams of protein per day. Given that one hundred grams of dal can serve a family of four, an individual will most likely get only a few grams of protein
from dal unless one exponentially increases their protein intake. This means one must eat around two hundredgrams of dal (depending on weight) daily.
After being cooked, one chicken breast contains fifty-four grams of protein. Eating chicken once a day can meet the protein requirement for your body in one meal. That is why the non-vegetarians have the upper hand in protein compared to the vegetarians.
Strangely enough, most vegetarians in India consider dal their primary protein source. There is some truth to this belief. Despite its lower nutrient levels, tur dal is still good for athletes and workout enthusiasts.
Having lightly boiled tur dal instead of whey protein after a workout is beneficial to health. One hundred grams of tur dal is as good as whey protein. Moreover, tur dal lowers the risk of strokes, cancers, diabetes, and cardiovascular problems.
Nowadays, dal is mostly imported from other countries and comes in hybrid varieties. These hybrid varieties have lower protein than tur dal found in India. You may get no protein whatsoever eating dal with the family. Therefore, supporting homegrown tur dal is important.
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