Walk along the Nile Corniche in Cairo at festival time and you will see vendors doing a brisk trade in paper cones filled with glossy yellow beans, eaten one by one like popcorn. Those beans are termis — one of the oldest snacks in Egypt, and one of the most misunderstood outside the Middle East. Search for “termis beans” and you will find a protein-packed superfood; search a little deeper and you will find warnings about bitterness and alkaloids. Both are true, and the difference between the two is preparation. This explainer covers what termis beans actually are, where they come from, exactly how they are prepared step by step, their real benefits and risks, and the best alternatives if you cannot find them locally.
Quick Answer: Termis (also spelled termes) are lupini beans — the yellow seeds of the lupin plant — soaked, boiled and brined until their natural bitterness disappears. A beloved Egyptian street snack since ancient times, they are high in protein and fiber, gluten-free, and traditionally eaten at gatherings and festivals such as Sham el-Nessim, Egypt’s spring celebration.
What Are Termis Beans?
Termis are the seeds of the lupin plant (genus Lupinus), a legume in the same family as peas, chickpeas and peanuts. The beans are large, flat and yellow, with a firm bite and a thick skin that most eaters slip off between their teeth as they snack. In Egypt they are called termis or termes; in the Levant the same snack is known as turmus; in Italy it appears as lupini, often served with olives; and in Portugal and Madeira it is tremoços, the classic bar snack served free with a cold drink. Different names, same bean — and the same essential preparation everywhere it travels.
Raw lupini beans are intensely bitter and not pleasant — or advisable — to eat. That bitterness comes from naturally occurring quinolizidine alkaloids, compounds the plant evolved to discourage pests. Traditional varieties are especially high in them. The entire culture of termis revolves around removing those alkaloids through water, salt and patience, a process known as debittering, which we walk through below.
Where Do Termis Beans Come From?
This is no modern health-food invention. According to Egyptian Streets, termes are believed to date back to ancient Egypt, with references reaching as far as the 22nd century BCE, and they remain one of the country’s defining snacks — sold from street carts in paper cones or on small plates, especially near the Nile Corniche, and strongly associated with family outings, beach days and the Sham el-Nessim spring festival. From Egypt, lupini spread around the Mediterranean with the Roman world, which valued them as food for people and animals alike, and they took root in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece and the Levant — where each culture kept the snack and gave it its own name.
In Egypt today, termis sit at the center of snack culture alongside leb (roasted seeds). When Egyptian Streets asked its audience to name their favorite snacks, termes and leb topped the responses, precisely because they are tied to happy, shared memories rather than solitary eating.
How Are Termis Beans Prepared? Step by Step
Debittering is simple but not fast. Follow the process properly and the beans become mild, salty and addictive; rush it and they stay bitter. The standard home method:
Step 1 — Sort and soak. Rinse the dried beans, discard any that look damaged, and soak in plenty of water for about 24 hours. The beans swell significantly, so use a large bowl and generous water.
Step 2 — Boil. Drain, cover with fresh water and boil for roughly 30 minutes (some cooks simmer longer). Drain and rinse under cold running water.
Step 3 — Salt-water soaking. Return the beans to fresh, well-salted water — about as salty as pasta water — and leave for several hours. This begins drawing out the bitter alkaloids.
Step 4 — Change, taste, repeat. Replace the salted water and taste a bean. If any bitterness remains, change the water again. Traditional methods repeat this over several days; faster home methods compress it into a day or two of regular changes. The beans are ready only when there is no trace of bitterness.
Step 5 — Season and store. Keep finished termis covered in lightly salted water in the fridge for up to about a week. Many eaters add cumin for a warm kick; lemon juice and a pinch of chili are also popular at serving time.
What Are the Benefits of Termis Beans?
Once debittered, termis are genuinely nutritious. They are among the most protein-rich legumes commonly eaten — frequently cited at around 40% protein by dry weight, comparable to soybeans — and they are high in fiber, low in fat and naturally gluten-free. Egyptian Streets notes that scientists and dieticians highlight exactly this profile: protein, fiber, and potential support for heart and blood-sugar health. Because they are eaten slowly, one bean at a time, they also function as a naturally portion-controlled snack — a bowl lasts through a whole film. For plant-based eaters especially, termis offer a complete-feeling savory snack that is neither fried nor processed, closer in spirit to the whole-food snacks we discussed in our explainer on caterpillar treats than to a bag of chips.
Are Termis Beans Safe for Everyone?
Two cautions matter. First, preparation is not optional: the alkaloids that make raw lupini bitter are the plant’s chemical defense, and under-debittered beans should not be eaten — if it still tastes bitter, keep soaking. Second, lupin is a declared allergen in the European Union and several other markets, and it can cross-react with peanut allergy because the plants are relatives. Anyone with a peanut or legume allergy should approach termis carefully and check labels on packaged versions. Bought ready-made from a reputable vendor or jar, termis carry neither concern for most people — the debittering has already been done for you.
Termis Beans vs the Best Alternatives
No termis nearby? These snacks cover similar ground:
| Snack | What It Is | Vs Termis |
|---|---|---|
| Jarred lupini / tremoços | The same beans, sold ready in brine | Identical snack, zero preparation |
| Roasted chickpeas | Crunchy, spiced, shelf-stable | Crunchier and drier; slightly less protein |
| Leb (roasted seeds) | Egypt’s other classic: sunflower/watermelon seeds | Same snack culture, seed instead of bean |
| Edamame | Young soybeans in the pod, salted | Similar hand-snacking ritual; fresher, greener taste |
| Fava beans (foul snacks) | Roasted or boiled broad beans | Earthier flavor; another ancient Egyptian staple |
If you enjoy discovering how one humble ingredient becomes a whole snack culture, pair this read with our guide to The Happy Trunk — a very different kind of hands-on tradition, but the same lesson: the simplest formats often last the longest.
How Do You Eat Termis Beans?
There is a small ritual to it. Take one bean, squeeze it gently or nick the skin with your teeth, and the firm inner bean pops out — the papery skin is usually discarded. Vendors serve them plain with salt, while home servings often add cumin, a squeeze of lemon or a dusting of chili. Because each bean takes a second or two of work, a cone of termis paces itself, which longtime fans count as part of the pleasure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are termis beans and lupini beans the same thing?
Yes. Termis (termes) is the Egyptian name for lupini beans, the yellow seeds of the lupin plant. They are also called turmus in the Levant, lupini in Italy and tremoços in Portugal.
Why are termis beans bitter, and how is the bitterness removed?
The bitterness comes from natural alkaloids in the raw bean. It is removed by debittering: soaking, boiling, then repeated soaking in salted water with regular water changes until a test bean tastes completely mild.
How long do termis beans take to prepare?
Plan on at least a day: roughly 24 hours of soaking, about 30 minutes of boiling, then salted-water soaking with changes until the bitterness is gone. Traditional methods can stretch the final stage over several days.
Are termis beans healthy?
Yes — prepared termis are high in protein and fiber, low in fat and gluten-free, which is why dieticians often list them among the better traditional snacks. Watch the salt if you are monitoring sodium, and note the lupin allergen warning for peanut-allergy sufferers.
Where can I buy termis beans outside Egypt?
Look in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean grocery stores for dried lupini beans or ready-to-eat jars in brine (often labeled lupini or tremoços), and online marketplaces carry both forms.
Bottom line: termis beans are lupini beans transformed by water, salt and patience from bitter seeds into Egypt’s favorite hand snack — high-protein, high-fiber and festival-ready. Respect the debittering process (or buy them ready in brine), mind the lupin allergen note, and you have a snack with four thousand years of history behind it.