Lupini Beans: Lupini beans are large, flat, round, yellowish seeds in the legume family. Lupini beans have a thick, tough skin. They are most commonly found cooked and preserved in a briny solution. The thick skin makes the beans fun to eat as the salty meat of the lupini can be "popped" out by squeezing the skin. Lupini beans are native to Italy, consumption probably started with the Romans and the beans eventually became a staple of Mediterranean cuisine. The beans require special preparations to remove alkaloids, the Romans must have been very persistent. Today new cultivars have been developed that reduce this problem. Still, special soaking and cooking are required to make some of the modern beans edible.
Lupini beans are a very good source of protein. Second only to soy beans, 100 grams of lupini beans contain over 36 grams of protein. Almost exclusively served pickled in brine, lupini beans are most commonly served as a snack food. They can be found in some bars as an accompaniment to beer. Salty and slightly bitter, the beans are an acquired taste. Newer "sweet" varieties are increasingly finding a place as a good source of protein in vegetarian dishes, ground as a high protein flour, or fermented into a lupin tofu.
Containing the full range of amino acids, and with almost as much protein as soy beans, lupini beans will also grow well in a wider range of climates. For these reasons lupins are getting a close look as new strains come with less of a processing burden.
- Lupini Beans Facts:
- Lupini beans are native to Italy
- Lupini beans are commonly found pickled
- Contain almost as much protein as soy
- Grow well in a wider range of climates
- Contain the full range of amino acids
- Popular with the Romans
Nutritional data per 100g dried Lupini:
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