Conference turris::cooks

	I've never met these as such, but here's a guess:

	The things in the pack are lupin seed pods (or beans of the same name?).
		I know you can eat lupin seed pods. Ascetics used to live on
them, a 			sort of western equivalent of John the Baptist's
locust( bean)s. 

	They are preserved in jellied or seasoned liquid. "Gesalzenen" could 	
	mean (generically) preserved (I've seen it used for more than simply 	
	salting down things to preserve them), or could be a typo for 		
	"gesulzenen", which can mean anything from "preserved in jelly", as in 	
	brawn (head cheese) to "presented displayed in aspic", like 		
	Sulzteller, those very 	unpleasant jellied plate salads you get in 	
	German supermarkets.

	Salamoia could be an Italian version of salme or salma (as in salma 	
	gundi), which is another word (?originally French) for the same sort of 
	thing as a Sulz. It also means a sort of preserved meat stew, I think.

	So in general, you've got preserved legumes or seed pods. I'd drain then
		and put them out with drinks.

	Alimentary, my dear Grigson.

    They're broadly known in Spain as "Altramuces", they are a type of
    bean like almost a lima bean but yellow, not green.  It is sold in
    brine and also fresh, after been soaked in water and tenderized.  It is
    served as snacks, at times served with beer on hot summer days. It is
    well know in Europe and it can be found in many supermarkers in the New
    England area, (Super Stop & Shop, Star, etc)
    
    Ana
    

    I believe the seeds of the Lupin (the flowering border plant, an
    example of which is the Texas blue bonnet) are considered poisonous.
    
    Angus

    Thanks for all the replies.

    Ana,

	I had tried altramuces in a Spanish deli in London (but immediately
	forgot what they are called...). The owner of the deli just raved 
	about them and said that he used to eat them in the cinema when he was 
	young the way people nowadays eat popcorn.
	In fact, I bought the Lupini because they looked like the altramuces I 
	had in the Spanish deli. When I entered this note I hoped someone	
	would confirm that they are in fact what I thought they are.

	 Which is what you did.
	 I think I'll take them along next time I go to the cinema.

	  Thanks,
	  Clarissa	 
    

Re: .-2, poisonous lupins....

Thanks for the correction. I must admit, I thought the description sounded more
like beans, though I could imagine some kinds of legume pods being pickled or
salted.

I'm now puzzled about the ancient ascetic philosophers (Cynics and the like) 
who are supposed to have lived on lupins. The word occurs in Victorian
translations of Diogenes Laertius and Lucian (for example). I can't remember
what the Greek word is, but I'm now going to scrottle off to the Net to see if I
can find the original texts. The Cynics etc. were supposed to be unconventional,
and eating poisonous plants is pretty unconventional, I supposed. Or maybe
lupini is a very old name for a type of bean.

Helen

    regarding poisonous foods... don't forget that the tomato that came to
    the Old World from the "New World" (Columbus' newly discovered America)
    was considered a poisonous plant and was regarded as a poison... I
    don't know 'who' ate it and discovered it was not a poison, maybe Marco
    Polo? all I know is that it came from America to Europe and spread
    there but I fail to know by whom. Sugar cane was introduced to the New
    World from Spain...(that's something not many people know, as lots of
    people I talked to about this thought it originated in Cuba and nearby
    territories...). The wonderful potato did not originate in Ireland but
    in Peru... (but I'm not sure of that).
    
    The lupines, or altramuces, are wonderful and they are not poisonous...
    or I would NOT be here writing this! I just love them...
    
    Ana
    

    legend has it that George Washington's cook tried to poison him with
    the fruit of the deadly red nightshade...
    
    ed

The Lupinis I've always known come packed in brine. Always a popular
snack on the table at any of my Italian relatives' homes. Progresso
and Cento seem to be regular suppliers in New England.

Eating them is kinda fun - you nip off the "stem end" of the bean
with your front teeth, aim the bean at your mouth, and squeeze. The
bean exits the tougher skin like a bullet and pops right onto your
tongue.

-Jack

These are also enjoyed by the Americans of Portuguese descent in the New
England area.

I don't know that correct spelling, but asking for "tramoose" will get
you a scoop of these beans (also packed in brine), to be eaten exactly as
-.1 says. And after you pop the tramoose into your mouth you flip
the skin with your finger... 

Art

    Ed,
    
    "Legend"'s name in this case is Ellery Queen.  I remember the story.
    
    							Ann B.

Re: -a few:

Ana, I didn't mean to imply that lupini are poisonous, only the seeds and pods
of the lupin flower. Lupini/altramuces sound very good to eat.

It's possible that wild lupins have less of whatever is toxic and breeding them
as ornamental plants has intesified the poison. The converse could have happened
with tomatoes. They're related to nightshade and the plants look similar, so
it's reasonable to guess that the fruit could be poisonous. I had an idea some
parts of the plant were poisonous....(though I like the George Washington
story). Similarly for spuds, which really are not terribly good for you raw or
when sprouting.

Helen