These delicious snack foods are the seeds of common lupins. It might come as a surprise to you that lupin seeds are edible – it did to us. They are a type of legume, high in protein and rich in dietary fibre and other mineral salts/ nutrients. One small caveat: When I say edible, I wouldn’t go popping them raw though – they have toxic levels of alkaloids that can be poisonous. Soaking, boiling and brining help make them safe for consumption.

In the past, lupin seeds would be bought dry and then placed in burlap sacks which would then be weighed down with stones in the running water of a levada. After a few days the beans would be recovered and boiled/ brined for a few hours before being returned to the levada for a couple more days.

When they’re ready, just add chopped fresh parsley, garlic and red pepper, then season well with plenty of coarse salt. A generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil doesn’t go amiss either.

A traditional food at Easter, they would be cooked on Palm Sunday and eaten during the week (Semana Santa), bought from street stalls stacked with bags of them.

Tremoços are common dentinho (little bites/ appetisers) that come with beers in most bars, and we love adding them to salads or just smashing handfuls of them on a walk.