The lupins, chochos or lupines are legumes with an ancient use in the Mediterranean region. Round and yellow in color, these seeds, specifically the Lupinus albus species, have gone from feeding cattle to being the appetizer with which the most traditional bars accompany beers and other soft drinks. One of the most repeated questions when this snack is served is whether it makes you fat or not.
The pharmacist and nutritionist Jesus Montero explains to this newspaper that they are “hypercaloric”. One hundred grams of dehydrated lupins has about 385 kilocalories (kcal), once hydrated they would be around 120. Thus, “a beer and a cap of this appetizer could reach 110 kcal, or even more, depending on the brand and the type of cereal with which the drink has been made”. However, eating them without abusing them is beneficial because of their “high content of protein, iodine, magnesium, copper and folic acid.”
In 2009, the expert Javier Vioque, together with his team from the Fat Institute (CSIC), led research on protein digestibility and other nutritional parameters of six Andalusian wild species (Lupinus angustifolius, L. cosentinii, L. gredensis, L. hispanicus, L. luteus and L. micranthus) and managed to demonstrate the similarity that they present withother legumes in their protein content. The results of the research were published in the prestigious specialized journal Food Chemistry.
Their high nutritional value and their regulatory character of the accumulation of fats , discovered by experts from the Institute of Process Engineering and Packaging of Freising, in Germany, make them suitable for diets. They are also recommended for celiacs , since they do not contain gluten and their low glycemic index slows down the absorption of sugars in the blood, making them balance glucose levels, a very beneficial property for diabetics .
All these favorable properties, together with others such as containing a three times higher percentage ofiron than the popular kale or produces a probiotic effect that improves intestinal health, making it a superfood of the Mediterranean diet, present in many Andalusian pantries.
Nutritional properties (100 grams)
Calories: 119 kcal Water: 71 grams Proteins: 16 grams Fiber: 2.8 grams Carbohydrates: 9.88 grams Fats: 2.9 grams
How to prepare
them
Their bitter taste is corrected by putting them in brine . Like any other legume, it is soaked in cold water for 24 hours. Once this time has elapsed, they are boiled, drained and kept in salted water until consumed.
