The lentil (Lens culinaris or Lens esculenta) is an edible legume. It is a bushy annual plant known for its lens-shaped seeds. It is about 40 cm  tall, and the seeds grow in pods, usually with two seeds in each.

In South Asian cuisine, split lentils (often with their hulls removed) are known as dal. Usually eaten with rice or rotis, the lentil is a dietary staple throughout regions of India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal. As a food crop, the majority of world production comes from Canada, India, and Australia.