I got the inspiration to make this dish from my mom, as it was one of my favorite things to munch on during early childhood. They’re tasty and generally are a very healthy treat, low in fat and high in protein.

Lentils are widely cultivated throughout North Africa, they’re used mainly in soups and stews. The dish I’m going to be creating is called Kuumba Lentil Fries, to put this dish together, we use a few special ingredients to create the base. The ingredients and the process to make these amazing fries will be mentioned in the cook book.

Growing up as a young lady in the small island of Barbados, I was raised on vegan products due to my family’s diet and culture, being raised in a vegan home was very difficult for me.
I was hungry on many occasions and didn’t know what to eat or prepare or may not have had the resources to make much, in cases like that I would definitely rely on my mom’s lentil pea fries.

Now that I’m older and can do more for myself, every time I prepare the dish it’s a reminder of my childhood days along with the fact that we as individuals have to do all that we can to survive, regardless of the resources we have.

Preparing this dish helps release me from the past chains attached to the stereotype behind the use of lentils, having such a low energy term such as ‘‘poor’’ holding it captive due to old beliefs passed down on us in different communities. It is my way of reminding the black society of today that low cost dishes that can provide nourishment and flavor in both bad times and the good, needs to be seen as an asset and not a burden.