Lentils currently cultivated in the Canary Islands have an unbroken local history that reaches back nearly 2,000 years. This remarkable continuity has been revealed by the first genetic analysis of archaeological lentils, conducted by researchers at Linköping University and the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in Spain.
Because these lentils have been shaped for centuries to thrive in hot, dry conditions, they could become an important resource for breeding crops that can cope with ongoing climate change.
Ancient grain silos and DNA preserved in volcanic rock
More than a thousand years ago, the Indigenous inhabitants of Gran Canaria used long-term storage methods to safeguard their harvests. They carved grain silos directly into hard volcanic rock in locations that were extremely difficult to reach. Some of the stored seeds were never retrieved. The environment inside these rock chambers was so favorable that DNA in the plant remains survived until today. For modern researchers, these age-old crops have become an extraordinary scientific resource.
In the new project, scientists examined lentils recovered from these ancient silos. By comparing DNA from the archaeological seeds with lentils that are currently cultivated in the Canary Islands, as well as in Spain and Morocco, they could follow how the crop and its cultivation have changed over time. The work is among the first studies to apply archaeological DNA techniques to legumes.
When did lentils arrive in the Canary Islands?
European sailors encountered the Canary Islands off the African coast in the 1300s. At that time, the archipelago was home to communities whose ancestors had come from North Africa more than a thousand years earlier. Surviving historical accounts describe aspects of Indigenous farming as seen by Europeans, but lentils are not mentioned in those descriptions. This gap in the written record raises a key question: when, and by what route, did lentils reach the Canary Islands?
The study, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, provides a clear answer that the crop has deep roots in the region. Genetic analyses show that many of the lentil varieties grown on the islands today descend from lentils brought by Indigenous settlers from North Africa in the 200s.
“The same type of lentils has been cultivated for almost 2,000 years in the Canary Islands. This is interesting, especially considering that the indigenous population was greatly diminished when Europeans took over the islands. But the new settlers seem to have adopted the indigenous people’s crops and continued to grow them,” says Jenny Hagenblad, senior associate professor at Linköping University, who led the study.
Survival through climate adaptation and cultural knowledge
Why did these lentils persist for so long? According to the researchers, one likely explanation is that the varieties were especially well suited to the local environment. Another possibility is that Indigenous women who married incoming settlers helped maintain knowledge about which crops to plant and how to cultivate them. Even today, women in the Canary Islands generally have more detailed knowledge than men about food plants grown in the region.
The fact that the Canary Islands have kept their original lentil types for such an extended period is more than a curious detail. Interest in the islands’ culinary heritage is increasing, and many residents and visitors are eager to eat foods that connect them with local history. Lentils turn out to be a meaningful part of that cultural story.
“We also see in our study that different types of lentils are grown on different islands — even islands where it was previously thought that lentils were never cultivated. It’s important to preserve lentils from different islands, because genetic diversity can prove valuable for the future of agriculture,” says Jonathan Santana, researcher at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
Lanzarote lentils and their hidden influence on Spanish crops
The team also uncovered another intriguing pattern. “Lenteja tipo Lanzarote,” or Lanzarote lentil, is a popular label for lentils sold in Spanish shops. The lentils themselves are not actually produced on Lanzarote, but the name is associated with high quality. When researchers compared lentils grown on the Spanish mainland with modern lentils from the Canary Islands, DNA analyses indicated that lentils from Lanzarote had been cross-bred with Spanish varieties.
“Our results indicate that the lentils from Lanzarote have contributed not only their name but also their genes to Spanish lentils. With the climate change that is now taking place, Canarian lentils, adapted to growing in dry and warm conditions, may be of great interest for future plant breeding,” says Jacob Morales, associate professor at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
Advanced computing and international support
The project received financial support from several sources, including the European Research Council (ERC) and the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. Data processing and analyses were performed using the National Academic Infrastructure for Supercomputers in Sweden (NAISS), which is partly funded by the Swedish Research Council.
