How to Eat Lupini Beans

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Lupini beans are not very well known in the US, but they really should be. Soon enough, I think they’ll be one of the hottest new “health foods” around here. Not only are they a deliciously addictive snack or appetizer, but are incredibly nutritious and high in protein.

I’m going to take the guess that most of you reading this have never seen or even heard of lupini beans and show you how to cook and eat them.

Lupini beans, also known as lupins, are a delicious legume that has been consumed for thousands of years around the world. While extremely nutritious, their preparation requires time and technique to remove bitterness and make them palatable. Once properly soaked, cooked, and brined, lupini beans become a fun, protein-packed snack. But how exactly should you go about eating them?

When you first get your hands on some prepared lupini beans, you’ll notice that they come fully enclosed in a firm skin. This skin is entirely edible, but most people find it unappealingly tough and bitter. The preferred method is to pop the skin off with your teeth before eating the inner bean

To eat a lupini bean

  • Hold an individual bean between your thumb and forefinger.
  • Place the bean sideways between your front teeth and bite down to tear open the skin. Don’t bite all the way through.
  • Gently press on the bean with your fingers to squeeze it out of the skin and into your mouth.
  • Alternatively, you can pierce the skin with your front teeth and push the bean out with your tongue.
  • Discard the empty husk and enjoy the lupini bean seed!

Once you get the hang of the quick two-step process to de-skin them, lupini beans make an effortless finger food. Keep a bowl nearby to collect the skins.

Some enthusiasts don’t mind eating the skins, citing their nutritional value. However, the bitterness and fibrous texture continue to deter most people.

De-skinned lupini beans offer a satisfying pop of flavor. Their taste is often described as mildly nutty, sweet, and earthy. The brining process gives them a distinctive salty undertone.

Beyond snacking on them straight from the jar, there are many creative ways to enjoy these protein-rich legumes:

  • Toss them into salads for an extra crunch.
  • Blend them into dips, spreads, and patés.
  • Include them in Mediterranean-style tuna or chicken salad recipes.
  • Add them to vegetable or grain bowls.
  • Garnish soups with lupini beans.
  • Mix them with olives, pickled vegetables, and marinated artichoke hearts for an antipasto platter.
  • Coat them with spices and roast in the oven.

Thanks to their high fiber and protein content, lupini beans offer a nutritious snack or ingredient to incorporate into meals. Follow the simple method of squeezing off the bitter outer skin with your teeth and indulge in the delicious interior seed. Once you get used to prepping them, you’ll find endless possibilities for enjoying this ancient legume.

how to eat lupini beans

Can You Eat the Skin of a Lupini Bean?

Yes, the skin is edible. I can tell you that my brother and son just pop the whole bean into their mouths. However, I don’t like the texture of the skins, so I don’t eat them.

You won’t be able to stop eating them once you start, but keep in mind that they are beans, so don’t eat too many at once. Now you know how to cook and eat lupini beans. Enjoy!.

Do you want to see more traditional Italian Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dishes? Click on the picture or this link.

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How to Eat Lupini Beans

There are three steps. Do not ask me how I know this, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll be able to throw away a dozen in less than 15 seconds. .

  • Once you have a lupini bean in your hand, bite through the top part (the little white part) to open the skin. Be careful not to bite the bean inside.
  • Now, hold the bean in front of your mouth and gently squeeze it. The bean will pop in! I told you that lupini were cooked and eaten differently than other beans. .
  • Discard the skin.

High Protein-Low Carb Lupini Beans (Lupinenbohnen) – how 2 prepare & other products – Miss Moonshine

FAQ

How are you supposed to eat lupini beans?

Typically, lupini beans are popped out of the skins before eating. My friend instructed me on how to bite a small hole in the outer skin, and then slip the softer portion of the lupini bean out of the skin for eating. At first taste, I have a new favorite bean!

Is it okay to eat the skin of a lupini bean?

Lupin beans are commonly sold in a brine in jars (like olives and pickles). They can be eaten by making a small tear in the skin with one’s teeth and “popping” the seed directly into one’s mouth, but can also be eaten with the skin on. The skin can also be removed by rubbing the bean between forefinger and thumb.

How do Italians eat lupini?

They are served as a traditional snack in Mediterranean countries such as Italy, Greece and Spain. They can be brined or pickled or served as a protein rich snack such as this recipe. They can be made into Lupin flour, which is used in baking adding a nutritional boost to recipes, increasing protein and fiber content.

Is it safe to eat raw lupini beans?

But you cannot eat the lupine’s legume raw; it is overpoweringly bitter, even acrid, and toxic as such. Dried lupini must be soaked for two days, cooked for (at least) two hours and soaked in a refrigerated, light brine for upwards of two weeks — all in order to leach out that bitterness and danger.

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