Lupin beans

Yes, if they are sold ready to eat in brine: drain and rinse them, or serve them as they are. Dried lupin beans need thorough soaking and cooking, followed by repeated changes of water to remove naturally bitter alkaloids.

Soak them in plenty of water, then boil until tender; the exact time depends on the beans and can take an hour or more. For bitter varieties, boiling alone is not enough: they need further soaking in fresh water, changed regularly, until the bitterness is gone.

Keep them covered by their brine in a clean, sealed container in the fridge, and use a clean spoon each time. If they smell unpleasant, look mouldy or feel slimy, discard them.

Serve brined lupin beans as a salty snack, often with a drink, or add them to salads and antipasti. They also work in place of chickpeas in a bean salad, once rinsed to remove excess brine.

Yes. Lupin is a legume and can cause a serious allergy; people with peanut allergy may also react to it, so take particular care with lupin flour and foods containing it.

Yes: lupin beans provide 29 g of protein per 100 g. They are also high in fibre, with 42 g per 100 g.