Lentils are a daily staple across Egypt, the Levant, the Gulf and East Africa — and the trade splits cleanly into two products that are often confused on purchase orders: red split lentils (“football” polished halves) and whole lentils (brown/green with the seed coat on). They cook differently, price differently and are inspected differently. As a lentils supplier in Egypt, PEIVANA ships both from cleaned, graded stock through Alexandria, Damietta and Sokhna, year-round.
This guide gives importers the working vocabulary — football vs split vs whole — plus the size table, admixture and defect specs that belong in every lentil contract, packing options and mixed-container strategies. Baseline specs are on the lentils product page. PEIVANA is the flexible Egyptian exporter: mixed legume loads and mid-size programmes are our home ground.
Types and Grades
Red split lentils — football: dehulled, split into hemispherical halves and polished; bright orange-red, the fastest-cooking format (15–20 min, no soak). The standard for Egyptian and Levantine lentil soup, Indian-style dal and industrial soup mixes. “Football” refers to the rounded polished half — uniform, free-flowing, minimal powder.
Whole red lentils: dehulled but unsplit — holds shape slightly better than split; a niche between football and whole brown.
Whole lentils (brown/green): seed coat intact, khaki to brown colour, holds shape after cooking — salads, stews, canning. Sold by caliber (mm) rather than by polish.
Grades: Grade 1 = purity 99%+, uniform colour, minimal broken/powder; Grade 2 = purity 98%+, higher tolerance for broken and colour variation, suited to milling and price-driven markets.
Sizes & Calibers
| Product | Size | Key spec | Main use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red split — football | ~2 mm halves | Polished, powder <1% | Soup, dal, retail |
| Red split — standard | ~2 mm halves | Unpolished/oiled options | Milling, wholesale |
| Whole red | 3–4 mm | Dehulled, unsplit | Retail, HORECA |
| Whole brown/green | 4–5 mm / 5–6 mm | Caliber-graded | Canning, salads, stews |
For whole lentils always state the caliber band; for red split, state polished (football) or not, and a maximum powder/broken percentage.
Packing Formats
| Format | Net weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PP woven bag | 25 kg | Export standard |
| PP woven bag | 50 kg | Wholesale/Africa programmes |
| Poly bags in carton | 10 × 1 kg / 12 × 900 g | Retail private label |
| Big bag | 1,000 kg | Industrial millers, repackers |
A 20′ container carries ~24–25 t. Moisture max 12–13%, fumigation before loading, moisture-barrier liners for humid destinations.
Season
Egypt’s lentil harvest lands in April–May; processing (dehulling, splitting, polishing) runs continuously, so both split and whole formats ship year-round from conditioned stock — with demand peaking before Ramadan and winter. Plan combined dry-plus-fresh programmes with the Egyptian produce seasons calendar.
QC Checkpoints Buyers Should Ask For
- Admixture certificate — the headline lentil spec: max % of foreign seeds, stones, sticks and other grains (commonly ≤0.5% total, stones ≤0.1%). Ask for it itemised, not aggregated.
- Broken & powder — for football lentils, max broken/powder 1–2%; excessive powder signals aggressive milling and cooking mush.
- Colour uniformity — optical-sort report; pale or bleached halves above tolerance indicate old stock.
- Moisture & infestation — max 13%, zero live insects, phosphine fumigation certificate with dosage and date.
- Cook test — football: tender in ≤20 min without soak; whole: shape retention after 30 min boil for canners.
- Sealed pre-shipment sample — couriered for approval on first orders; loading photos per lot as standard.
Mixed-Container Fit
Lentils, chickpeas, white beans and black eyed beans travel dry at ambient — the simplest consolidation in the export book. A typical mixed legumes container from Egypt pairs 9 t red split football + 8 t kabuli chickpeas + 8 t white beans in one 20′ box with one document set. It is the clearest expression of the PEIVANA model — see the mixed produce containers guide — letting mid-size importers buy three SKUs at container economics.
FAQ
What does “football” mean on a lentil offer?
Polished hemispherical red split halves — rounded like tiny footballs. Brighter colour, less powder, premium over standard split; the default for retail packing.
Red split or whole — which for canning?
Whole brown/green, caliber 4–5 mm+: it survives retorting with shape intact. Red split disintegrates — by design — and belongs in soups and dal.
What admixture level should I accept?
Contract 0.5% max total admixture with stones itemised at 0.1% max. Anything looser transfers cleaning cost to your facility.
Request a Quotation
Send format (football/split/whole), grade, packing and destination port — PEIVANA replies with a firm offer, usually the same day. Use the contact form or WhatsApp.