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I was cooking a pot of red lentils and yellow split peas, and noticed these white flecks all throughout. What are they? Are they safe to consume?

I have been using the same batch of lentils and peas all week, and just used up the last bit of both, so it is possible that these all collected at the bottom.

The flecks are moderately firm in texture.

lentils on spoon

rcorre
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  • What type of water are you using hard/soft? Is this the first time that this has happened? – dougal 5.0.0 Nov 01 '17 at 15:12
  • I've never noticed it before, and TBH don't know if my water is hard or soft. – rcorre Nov 01 '17 at 15:18
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    Does your kettle 'fur up' (nasty white stuff inside) if so you have hard water, and I was just wondering if you have seriously hard water. Is it also possible that there is some cross contamination (couscous or something like that) that has managed to sneak in? Does anything taste different, have you changed supplier? – dougal 5.0.0 Nov 01 '17 at 15:26
  • I suppose my water does "fur up", though I don't think more so than anywhere else I've lived. Cross contamination is possible, though it certainly doens't seem like couscous to me. I've edited the question to give some more details. I haven't tasted it yet :) – rcorre Nov 01 '17 at 15:45
  • Try making it again in exactly the same way, and see what happens. – dougal 5.0.0 Nov 01 '17 at 15:50
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    If the "white flecks" are those irregularly shaped small white curlicue things clustering mostly around the top of that wooden spoon, then check out this question: https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/35244/are-these-worms-in-my-black-eyed-peas-beans . I think they are just the part of the lentils/peas which are the "sprouting" part, i.e. the little plant inside the pulses (which are of course plant seeds). The question referenced above is answered with a nice diagram. – Lorel C. Nov 01 '17 at 17:21
  • They are, and they do look similar to those referenced in that question. I'm guessing that is it. Thanks! – rcorre Nov 01 '17 at 18:57
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    Apparently it's possible to sprout lentils by soaking in water (if done intentionally, you would change the water frequently) - I would have thought that drying, processing, and storage would kill them, but evidently not. It's possible dampness would have a similar effect. https://www.culturesforhealth.com/learn/sprouting/how-to-sprout-lentils/ – Stuart F Aug 03 '21 at 11:25

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My soup looks the same. Probably sprouts. But since I thought of worms I just can get by it enough to eat so I tossed it.

Dianna West
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  • Hi, this doesn't look like an answer, I know you can't leave comments yet, please leave some actual answers or ask some questions and in no time you'll be able to comment. (That's why you got a negative vote) –  Aug 09 '21 at 08:12