Recently the consumption of lentils, also called "the vegetable meat", is increasing. Spain, Turkey and the United States are the main producers. In our country, the region of Castilla- La Mancha is the main producer of lentils, followed by Castilla- León, Valladolid, Burgos, Salamanca and León. The most prestigious variety is the lenteja rubia (blond lentil) de Armuña (Salamanca), which comes with 'guarantee of origin' (DO). But there are also other classified varieties: rubia castellana, pardina, verdina and the lentejón. In summer the use of the pardina variety is advisable, as it requires only a short time of soaking and less cooking time than other varieties.