Let’s get the biggest irony out of the way: a lentil is not a bean. I know, I know—we call them “lentil beans” all the time, but botanically speaking, we’re committing a crime. Lentils are actually pulses—the edible seeds from the legume family, while beans are a specific subgroup.
Think of it this way: all beans are legumes, but not all legumes are beans. It’s like saying all squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares. (And yes, I just compared my dinner to geometry. That’s how desperate my pantry situation was.)
So, technically, you should be calling them “lentil legumes” or “lentil pulses.” But try saying that at a dinner party and watch everyone slowly back away.
