São Marcos Blog

Lupini beans are the yellow legume seeds of Lupinus genus plants, that grow all over Europe and are a common snack food in Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, and Egypt. The Lupini bean is a member of the pea-family. They are power-packed beans full of protein (almost as much as soy beans), fiber, and low in oil and starch and because of that weight loss is commonly associated with eating Lupini beans. They are full of the amino acid arginine which also helps lower blood pressure, lowers cholesterol & trigs, and lowers blood sugar levels. Lupini beans also act as a pre-biotic thus improving large bowel health.  Be careful though if you suffer from peanut allergy! In that case you should avoid eating Lupini beans.                                                                                                                                                   

But how do you eat these Tremoços, as the Portuguese call them?  Most people prefer not to eat the tough skin of the bean. You should make a small tear in the skin with your teeth and "pop" the seed directly in your mouth. Experts rub the skin off with their fingertips, but this method requires a lot of exercise.