Great Lent Gourmet: Day 21: March 14, 2015: Lupina Beans - Αλατισμένα Λούπινα

Saturday 14 March 2015

Day 21: March 14, 2015: Lupina Beans - Αλατισμένα Λούπινα

Lupini beans are part of the pea family. They are eaten like a snack. Members of our family had this as the only protein on the table during many a day during the "Katohi" (the Nazi occupation during World War 2). Now, lupine beans (or "lupina" in Greek) are eaten any time as a crunchy, salty and very nutritious snack; they are available all year, since they are often found preserved in a brine solution, like an olive or a salty pickle would be. They do not taste like pickles, but it seems that they are a tasty treat!

Unusual for a legume, lupina have no starch, are about 40% protein and a nutritionally rich food. Caution is advised for anyone wanting to consume bitter lupine (commonly used as livestock fodder) which have not been processed properly as alkaloid poisoning can occur. Also, in the European Union, it is required to indicate lupini beans on the label of food as there is some concern for cross-peanut allergy similarities (the lupini beans are related to the peanut).

We hope we haven't scared you with this point; tens of millions of people eat this delicious snack; if you have a legume allergy or a peanut allergy specifically, please don't eat lupine! For all other readers, please read on!

Lupini beans are referred to as Lupina (Λούπινα, lupino is the singular and lupina is the plural form) in Greek. They are a neat little snack pod that can be left at room temperature because of the high salt content. If you look at the label's ingredients list (above), you can see that the beans, water, and salt are the main ingredients. The citric acid is a preservative to keep the food fresh in the jar. Citric acid can be used to add or provide a sour flavour, but these beans are not sour, so the citric acid appears to be only a preservative.

Please note that once the container (jar or shrink-wrapped plastic bag) is opened, the lupina need to be refrigerated as they can become mouldy within a couple of days on the counter.

When we eat Lupina, we wash off the brining liquid (salt water). We do that for the fact that it is too salty, and by rinsing the beans, we can appreciate the bean itself. They have a thick skin around the bean that needs to be peeled off (mind you, husband, as well as many people I know, like munching on the skin as well. The skin is where most of the saltiness is held, and once that skin is peeled away, the mild, not salty legume is left.

We started by opening the jar, and taking some of the Lupina out of the brine. They are yellowish, and look like very flat, roundish legumes. Some of the beans will have popped out of their skins, and that's okay because we have to peel them to eat anyway.

There are two different ways to rinse away the brine solution. Your first choice is that you can rinse the Lupina under cool water. Running water is fine if you have a small amount and you know the water will reach all the beans. If you are rinsing a larger quantity, and you want to make sure the beans will be edible and not overly salty, then it may be best to put them in a bowl full of fresh cool water, and allowing the lupina to sit in clear water for about 30 minutes. This will make sure to remove much of the saltiness from the beans.

Once the lupina have been rinsed and drained of any rinsing water, it is time to pop open these little treasures and try one (or several) for yourself. The best way to do this is to pick up one bean and give it a squeeze. The bean will shoot out of the skin, and likely will zip across the room. If you are a little talented, you can squeeze the skin directly pointing into your mouth, and catch the bean as it pops out.

Another choice is to make a small cut in the skin, and then pull out the bean from its wrapping. Similar to peeling a banana, it is a slower method of cleaning the beans, but does not lead to Lupina all over the floor!

Discard the skins. They are edible but many people I know don't eat them , as they can be extremely salty. You can enjoy these as a snack, as part of breakfast, or as a protein pick me up in the middle of the day. They are a great social snack to have with friends, and are appropriate any time of year, fasting and non-fasting periods alike. If we get really adventurous, we may try to make some other dish with Lupina, but, for now, they are a lovely snack just as they are.