Most lentil salads I have had suffer from a certain dullness of flavor which even efforts to amp up the acid or simply bring on the bacon fail to adequately overcome. The culprit is the lentil, which for all its nutritional awesomeness will never have the mouthfeel or flavor of a righteously braised bit of pork belly. But since we are eating vegetarian superfoods, we cannot indulge in such an invidious comparison. What to do to add a bit of spark to these wee legumes?

First, for texture alone, use the French green lentils, which hold their shape and firmness. But the real trick is found in the Middle East, and more particularly Oman. Limu Omani are whole limes that are boiled in salty water and dried in the sun (no idea if that is how it is still done). You just poke a few holes in the tough skin and add the lime to the water that the lentils are simmered in. The dried lime adds a sour, citrusy flavor and a bit of funkiness that enlivens the lentils and elevates the salad out of the doldrums.

The first picture shows the dried lime with the French lentils. We had the salad with some roasted potatoes and a walnut-yogurt sauce that was like savory icing – there is nothing that it would not complement.