This extreme response to fava beans is called favism, and is associated with low levels of an enzyme called glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, or G6PD.
There is a museum dedicated to the Santorini cherry tomato, a Protected Designation of Origin product since 2006, and the island's fava beans are considered the best in Greece.
At the bottom of a wine container were traces of ground fava beans, which in ancient times were added to wine for flavor and to lighten its color, Amoretti said.
So, while people with the G6PD deficiency might have to give up fava beans at the dinner table, they might be a little safer when the mosquitoes come out to bite.