According to a recent study by Gallup Pakistan lentils or "dal" is a popular item in the Pakistani cuisine. It is estimated that approximately 20 billion rupees worth of "dal" is consumed in the country each year. There is a great variety in the types of lentils or "dals" consumed in various parts of the country. Survey findings show that "Channa" dal is the favourite number one all over the country. This is followed by "Maash", "Mong" and "Masoor" in that order. Nearly 30% rated "Channa" dal as their most liked dal while "Mash" was around 25%. Mong and Masoor were declared their favourite by around 15% of the respondents in this nation-wide Gallup survey. The survey was carried out in a nationally representative sample of men and women in the rural and urban areas of all the four provinces of Pakistan. The survey findings further revealed that women were much more particular in making finer distinctions in the types of dals and differentiated between various types and sub-types, while the men were more likely to lump them into the major names.

The survey was conducted by Gallup Pakistan, the Pakistani affiliate of Gallup International among nearly 1500 statistically selected households in both urban and rural areas of all the four provinces of Pakistan. The sample comprised a cross section of various income, education and geographic segments. The text of this report can also be seen on the internet at: www.gallup.com.pk.