Lupini Beans

Last year, at a movie theater near our house in Florence, Italy, my Italian-born husband bought a small plastic bag of yellow lupini beans from the concession stand. I'd seen the brined beans, about the size of limas, sold as snacks all over Italy, but I'd never bothered to try them. Later, in the darkened theater, I tasted one. The salty, nutty-tasting bean had a delicious snap and was just as addictive as my popcorn. Italians have been eating these beans since the days of the Roman Empire; I can't believe it took me this long to discover them. —Fiona Lapham, Florence, Italy