Anyone know about obscure Portuguese snacks?

August 2, 2007 7:28 AM

When in Portugal recently, we ate a snack food which looked like a bean, tasted like a bean, and which we were told, to our surprise, was some kind of sea produce. Any ideas?

It began with a "b", I think, and had to have a very thin clear hull removed. Roughly square, rounded corners, with a small circular hole in the hull at one corner, and yellow-brown. Delicious, but possibly not vegetarian?! And purchased in the town of Tomar. The internet has not answered this for me.

posted by imperium to food & drink (7 comments total)

Perhaps those were "sea-beans"?
posted by Ms. Next at 7:36 AM on August 2, 2007 [2 favorites]

I live in Portugal and I think what you describing sounds like Tremoços to me. They are the seed of the Lupin plant, they are served salted and often as an accompaniment to beer. You eat them by nibbling a bit of the hull then popping the seed into the back of mouth thus providing a neat snack and a way to keep your hands and mouth busy in between beer slurps.
posted by foleypt at 9:23 AM on August 2, 2007

I agree with foleypt - it really sounds like lupini beans (which are easily found in the U.S. - try an Italian grocer). Not sure about the "sea produce" part though...
posted by stefnet at 9:48 AM on August 2, 2007

Wow, I saw those in my Safeway the other day. I had no idea they were derived from lupines. I'll have to try them out!
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 10:34 AM on August 2, 2007

Almost certainly Lupin as they call them in southern France and kind of salty, cheesey, moreish and delicious with pastis?
posted by merocet at 10:43 AM on August 2, 2007

Hum, that's definitely it. I definitely heard a different word, but here is a tremoco pic which is definitely right. Thanks MeFi!
posted by imperium at 10:58 AM on August 2, 2007

I think I had some of these in Sintra. They were salty and tasted kinda earthy/musty. They looked just like the tremocos which have been linked to, so I'm sure that's what they must have been.
posted by mahamandarava at 4:31 PM on August 2, 2007