Lentils

Greece, Pakistan, and India

The shared history of brown lentils across Pakistan, Greece, and India underscores the profound impact of ancient trade routes and cultural exchanges. Through Alexander the Great’s campaigns and the subsequent blending of cultures, the use of lentils became a shared element of the diets and culinary identities of these regions.

Alexander the Great’s campaigns in the Indus Valley significantly influenced cultural exchanges between Greece and South Asia and contributed to the spread of agricultural products like lentils. When Alexander entered the Indus Valley around 327 BCE, his campaigns facilitated a flow of goods, ideas, and practices between the Greeks and the local populations, including the blending of Greek and South Asian art, philosophy, and agricultural techniques. This blending was particularly visible in the Greco-Buddhist art of the Gandhara region.