In The Silence of the Lambs, what does Hannibal Lecter say he ate with fava beans?

In The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal Lecter says he ate fava beans with “a nice Chianti.”

Lecter makes the remark while describing his cannibalism to FBI trainee Clarice Starling. He says he ate a victim’s liver with fava beans and a nice Chianti, then adds a theatrical imitation of a slurping sound. The calm, cultivated tone makes the confession particularly disturbing.

The line combines food, wine, and murder in a deliberately unsettling contrast. Chianti is a wine region and denomination associated with Tuscany, while fava beans are a common legume. The scene is often misremembered as involving “a fine Chianti,” but the film’s wording is “a nice Chianti.”

Anthony Hopkins played Lecter in the 1991 film, directed by Jonathan Demme. The movie won all five major Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Hopkins.