Lyonnaise cuisine refers to cooking traditions and practices centering on the area around the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

city of

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...

Kindersley, Dorling (2011)
''Ultimate Food Journeys: The World's Best Dishes and Where to Eat Them''
Penguin. p. 49. and historical Lyonnais culinary traditions. In the 16th century,

Catherine de Medici Catherine de' Medici ( it, Caterina de' Medici, ; french: Catherine de Médicis, ; 13 April 1519 – 5 January 1589) was an Florentine noblewoman born into the Medici family. She was Queen of France from 1547 to 1559 by marriage to King ...

brought cooks from

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...

to her court and they prepared dishes from agricultural products from many

regions of France France is divided into eighteen administrative regions (french: régions, singular ), of which thirteen are located in metropolitan France (in Europe), while the other five are overseas regions (not to be confused with the overseas collec ...

. This was revolutionary, as it combined the fresh, diverse and indigenous nature of regional produce with the know-how of Florentine cooks. The result was that regional specialities were elevated in status among royalty and nobility. Lyonnaise cuisine became a crossroads of many regional culinary traditions. A surprising variety of ingredients from many nearby places emerged: summer vegetables from farms in

Bresse Bresse () is a former French province. It is located in the regions of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Bourgogne-Franche-Comté of eastern France. The geographical term ''Bresse'' has two meanings: ''Bresse bourguignonne'' (or ''louhannaise''), whi ...

and Charolais, game from the Dombes, lake fish from

Savoy Savoy (; frp, Savouè ; french: Savoie ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south. ...

, spring fruits and vegetables from

Drôme Drôme (; Occitan: ''Droma''; Arpitan: ''Drôma'') is the southernmost department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. Named after the river Drôme, it had a population of 516,762 as of 2019.

and

Ardèche Ardèche (; oc, Ardecha; frp, Ardecha) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. It is named after the river Ardèche and had a population of 328,278 as of 2019.Beaujolais and the Rhone Valley. In the 19th century, middle-class women, nicknamed the "Lyonnaise mothers", left their homes to work as cooks and created brand new culinary traditions incorporating their regional roots. In 1935, the famed food critic

Curnonsky Maurice Edmond Sailland (October 12, 1872, Angers, France – July 22, 1956, Paris), better known by his pen-name Curnonsky (nicknamed 'Cur'), and dubbed the Prince of Gastronomy, was one of the most celebrated writers on gastronomy in Franc ...

did not hesitate to describe the city of

as the "world capital of gastronomy". In the 21st century, Lyon's cuisine is defined by simplicity and quality, and is exported to other parts of France and abroad. With more than a thousand eateries, the city of Lyon has one of the highest concentrations of restaurants per capita in France.

History

Antiquity

The history of Lyon cuisine begins in antiquity at Lugdunum, the capital of the Three Gauls monopoly on the wine trade. Oil and

brine Brine is a high-concentration Solution (chemistry), solution of salt (NaCl) in water (H2O). In diverse contexts, ''brine'' may refer to the salt solutions ranging from about 3.5% (a typical concentration of seawater, on the lower end of that of ...

were imported from

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

and the south of

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. The wine trade was well-documented even before the arrival of Roman settlers in the region: trade in wine during the 2nd century AD is known to have occurred in the alluvial plain of the Vaise. Italian wines from the Tyrrhenian coast were also present. A new population of Roman settlers brought Mediterranean flavors, new products and new food habits: the wines of Italy gave way to Greek wines, from

Rhodes Rhodes (; el, Ρόδος , translit=Ródos ) is the largest and the historical capital of the Dodecanese islands of Greece. Administratively, the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the S ...

, from

Cnidus Knidos or Cnidus (; grc-gre, Κνίδος, , , Knídos) was a Greek city in ancient Caria and part of the Dorian Hexapolis, in south-western Asia Minor, modern-day Turkey. It was situated on the Datça peninsula, which forms the southern s ...

, from Kos, and also wine from

Chios Chios (; el, Χίος, Chíos , traditionally known as Scio in English) is the fifth largest Greece, Greek list of islands of Greece, island, situated in the northern Aegean Sea. The island is separated from Turkey by the Chios Strait. Chios is ...

, reputed to be the most expensive and luxurious wine. During the 1st century AD, wine from further places arrived, like wine from

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cypru ...

and the

Levant The Levant () is an approximation, approximate historical geography, historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology an ...

. At the end of the 2nd century AD, wines from other parts of

Roman Gaul Roman Gaul refers to GaulThe territory of Gaul roughly corresponds to modern-day France, Belgium and Luxembourg, and adjacient parts of the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany. under provincial rule in the Roman Empire from the 1st century ...

arrived. It was not until the 3rd and 4th centuries that wine from more exotic locations like

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arrived. Septimanus was a well-known cook from Lugdunum, who has been documented in historical texts. He had an inn on the site of the present Rue Saint Helena and was renowned for cooking pork and game birds properly.

Renaissance

During the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass id ...

, there was a distinction between so-called "

bourgeois The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. Th ...

" cuisine and the more common cuisine of the lower classes. This "lower class cuisine" made heavy use of

offal Offal (), also called variety meats, pluck or organ meats, is the organs of a butchered animal. The word does not refer to a particular list of edible organs, which varies by culture and region, but usually excludes muscle. Offal may also ref ...

, deemed "cheap cuts", as immortalized by writer François Rabelais at the beginning of his novel ''

Gargantua ''The Life of Gargantua and of Pantagruel'' (french: La vie de Gargantua et de Pantagruel) is a pentalogy of novels written in the 16th century by François Rabelais, telling the adventures of two giants, Gargantua ( , ) and his son Pantagru ...

''. In the story, Gargamelle gave birth to her son Gargantua after eating a great amount of "skewered

tripe Tripe is a type of edible lining from the stomachs of various farm animals. Most tripe is from cattle, pigs and sheep. Types of tripe Beef tripe Beef tripe is made from the muscle wall (the interior mucosal lining is removed) of a cow' ...

", or ''grand planté de tripe'' in

. The first edition of '' Pantagruel'', another novel by Rabelais, published in Lyon in 1532 before Gargantua, is inspired by the adventures of a comedic doctor who is said to be inspired by the Lyonnaise comportment. The book evokes Lyonnaise cuisine, citing a list of dishes: "sausage, sausage, ham, sausages, huge wild boar roasts with garlic sauce, pluck, fricandeau, fat capons in white Mangier, hochepots, beef stew, cabirotades, hastereaux, game animals and birds, stuffed lamb, stuffed carp, whitefish, annealed (cheese flavored with peach leaves), crackers and macaroons (dry cakes), fruit jellies, fritters, and so on".

Erasmus Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (; ; English: Erasmus of Rotterdam or Erasmus;''Erasmus'' was his baptismal name, given after St. Erasmus of Formiae. ''Desiderius'' was an adopted additional name, which he used from 1496. The ''Roterodamus'' w ...

, a Renaissance humanist, hired many chefs from the city of Lyon: "It is better at home than when we are at a hotel in Lyon… the Lyonnaise mother comes first to greet you, begging you to be happy and to accept food.” The city had specialized in the preparation of certain foods, as evidenced even in place names: ''rue de la Fromagerie'' (Cheese Shop Street), ''rue Poulaillerie'' (Poulterer Street), ''rue Mercière'' (Merchant's Street).

18th century to present

It was in the eighteenth century that

ice cream Ice cream is a sweetened frozen food typically eaten as a snack or dessert. It may be made from milk or cream and is flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit such as ...

was introduced to Lyon by an Italian, Spreafico. The modern culinary reputation of Lyon was truly born with the publication of a poem by Joseph de Berchoux, glorifying the local cuisine. He was born in Roanne in 1760, and moved to Lyon in 1770. His work, ''Gastronomie ou l'homme des champs à table'', which was translated into several languages, introduced the idea of "eating well" in French culture and dispersed the new word "

gastronomy Gastronomy is the study of the relationship between food and culture, the art of preparing and serving rich or delicate and appetizing food, the cooking styles of particular regions, and the science of good eating. One who is well versed in gastr ...

". It precedes the works of Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin and Alexandre Balthazar Laurent Grimod, which would later perpetuate Berchoux's praise of the art of eating well. This "art" would become a specific middle-class characteristic of French society in the nineteenth century. The poem reads: :"Want to succeed in the art I profess? :Have a good castle in Auvergne or Bresse :Or rather places near Lyon sees passing :Two rivers lovers ready to embrace; :Will you get this under favorable sky :Everything that can serve the sweets table." A book by Amable Leroy, ''La cuisinière bourgeoise'', published in 1783, invented and immortalized recipes that would make Lyonnaise cuisine famous. In the last years of the eighteenth century the first modern-style restaurants would appear, some of which still exist today. There is Déduit, located at the top of ''rue Romarin'', known for its calf's head specialty. It was also during this period that the Lyonnaise mothers would appear. They were master ''charcutières'', or meat-cutters in English. The first to open a shop was Mother Brigousse, in 1759. She became famous for preparing and cutting Pike. In 1816, the poet Joanny Carmouche, a member of the Epicurean Society of Lyon brought together gourmets with verse: :"The desserts are eaten, :Cutlery line up, :Women arrange ... :At the dock, it happens :A marmot absconds Paul Bocuse

:(Without paying the bill!) :Far from River :The working class :Roast chicken ... :But each request: :What is this band :Bacchus order? :- They are rascals :Fleeing the river :Who, then, in River :Every month will be :Epicureans."

Stendhal Marie-Henri Beyle (; 23 January 1783 – 23 March 1842), better known by his pen name Stendhal (, ; ), was a 19th-century French writer. Best known for the novels ''Le Rouge et le Noir'' ('' The Red and the Black'', 1830) and ''La Chartreuse de ...

, passing through Lyon in 1837, evoked Lyonnaise cuisine: The Lyonnaise mothers become so famous that the gourmet Maurice Edmond Sailland, usually known as

, who had spent several weeks each winter in Lyon declared in 1934 from the ''Vettard'' restaurant that Lyon was the "capital of gastronomy". The statement came during the golden era of Lyonnaise cuisine, involving people with feathers and gastronomes and the idea spread and soon became one of the components of the image that Lyon will give their city. Curnonsky reasoned that Lyon's cuisine reflects the values of the local society, including its simplicity, as it appears in the speech of Paul Bocuse: "It is this honesty, this taste of the measure, I like to find in an honest and healthy Lyonnaise dish". Bernard Poche, in his book ''Lyon tel qu'il s'écrit. Romanciers et essayistes lyonnais 1860-1940'', or ''Lyon, as written: Lyonnais novelists and essayists 1860–1940'', concluded that eating well affected all layers of the population of the city. In the nineteenth century, the puppet Guignol, the famous weaver, often finds its parts by the prospect of a "hoary stew", a good meal, while novels use, or scoff at the legendary delicacy of bourgeois Lyon.

''Terroirs'' and culinary influences

As a result of Lyon's geographical location, many different culinary influences have converged in the city's cuisine, particularly those of the South (

Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border ...

and the Mediterranean) and of the North (

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it ha ...

and

Lorraine Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of G ...

). Each cuisine imparts its own characteristics: the use of butter and cream from the North and of fresh vegetables and olive oil from the South. In addition, in the fifteenth century, Lyon served as one of the primary distribution centres for spices imported from the East by Italian merchants. There are a number of ''

terroir (, ; from ''terre'', "land") is a French term used to describe the environmental factors that affect a crop's phenotype, including unique environment contexts, farming practices and a crop's specific growth habitat. Collectively, these contex ...

s'' around Lyon whose farmers supply their products to the city. To the north of Lyon lies Charolais, whose cattle breeders provide

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quant ...

, while the fishermen of the

Saône River The Saône ( , ; frp, Sona; lat, Arar) is a river in eastern France. It is a right tributary of the Rhône, rising at Vioménil in the Vosges department and joining the Rhône in Lyon, at the southern end of the Presqu'île. The name deri ...

deliver

whitebait Whitebait is a collective term for the immature fry of fish, typically between long. Such young fish often travel together in schools along coasts, and move into estuaries and sometimes up rivers where they can be easily caught using fine-m ...

. The wine-producing region of Beaujolais is also located to the north of Lyon. According to French writer and journalist Léon Daudet," hereare three reasons why Lyon is the capital of French gastronomy. . . . The third is that in addition to the Saône and the Rhône, she is served by a third river, the Beaujolais, which never dries up and is never muddy."Chelminski, Rudolph. "Chapter IV." ''I'll Drink to That: Beaujolais Wine and the French Peasant Who Made it the World's Most Popular Wine''. (New York: Penguin Books (USA) Inc., 2007). Quenelle de brochet sauce Nantua

Located north-east of Lyon, the region of

supplies

poultry Poultry () are domesticated birds kept by humans for their eggs, their meat or their feathers. These birds are most typically members of the superorder Galloanserae (fowl), especially the order Galliformes (which includes chickens, quail ...

, the appellation d’origine contrôlée (En: controlled designation of origin) of which dates to 1957. Bresse also supplies ''gaudes'', corn used to make ''soupe de farine jaune'' (En: corn flour soup). The neighbouring region of Bugey provides wine as well as

crayfish Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans belonging to the clade Astacidea, which also contains lobsters. In some locations, they are also known as crawfish, craydids, crawdaddies, crawdads, freshwater lobsters, mountain lobsters, rock lobsters, ...

, which are caught in the lac de Nantua (En: Nantua Lake) and are used as the base of the Nantua sauce that often accompanies ''quenelles''. Frogs, along with several types of fish including

carp Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish from the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. While carp is consumed in many parts of the world, they are generally considered an invasive species in parts of ...

tench The tench or doctor fish (''Tinca tinca'') is a fresh- and brackish-water fish of the order Cypriniformes found throughout Eurasia from Western Europe including the British Isles east into Asia as far as the Ob and Yenisei Rivers. It is als ...

, roach, pike and zander, are also supplied by the Dombes, a glacier-gouged plateau made up of more than 1,000 ponds (sometimes referred to as lakes), the majority of which are man-made and were created during the Middle Ages. The regions to the south of Lyon produce fruits, vegetables and wines in the Vallée du Rhône (En: Rhône Valley). In the

Ardèche Ardèche (; oc, Ardecha; frp, Ardecha) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. It is named after the river Ardèche and had a population of 328,278 as of 2019.department in south-central France named after the Ardèche River, farmers continue to develop the cultivation of chestnuts, which are a key ingredient in the traditional French Christmas dish, turkey with chestnuts. The Dauphiné region, which is known for its pork products and cheeses such as the '' Saint-Felicien'' or the ''

Saint-Marcellin Saint-Marcellin is a soft French cheese made from cow's milk. Named after the small town of Saint-Marcellin ( Isère), it is produced in a geographical area corresponding to part of the former Dauphiné province (now included in the Rhône-Alpes ...

'', is also located to the south of Lyon as are the 48 communes that produce '' rigotte de Condrieu'', ". . . a soft French goat cheese with a bloomy rind . . .

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mech ...

takes its name from the word ‘rigot’ (meaning small stream) and the town of Condrieu, 40 kilometers south of Lyon." File:Saint-Felicien.jpg, Saint-Felicien File:Wikicheese - Saint-marcellin - 20150417 - 010.jpg, Saint-Marcellin File:Rigottes de Condrieu.JPG, Rigottes de Condrieu Rosette de Lyon

To the west of Lyon, the livestock farms of the Monts du Lyonnais (Lyonnais mountains) are the source of the

charcuterie Charcuterie ( , also ; ; from french: chair, , flesh, label=none, and french: cuit, , cooked, label=none) is a French term for a branch of cooking devoted to prepared meat products, such as bacon, ham, sausage, terrines, '' galantines'', '' ...

and salt meat known as ''cochonnailles lyonnaises'' as well as variety of other pork products including '' rosette de Lyon'', a cured sausage named for its pink colour and made from pork shoulder,Bhagianathan, Chris, ed. et al. ''Sausage, A Country-by-Country Photographic Guide with Recipes''. (New York: DK Publishing, 2012) 50. and ''jésus de Lyon'', which is a "large, coarsely chopped, pure pork sausage studded with large pieces of fat hoseplump shape resembles a swaddled baby." These farmers also produce sausage, salami, pigs' trotters, ham, filet mignon, terrines, farmhouse pâté and pork rind (including fried pork rinds) as well as small artisanal cheeses or ''rigottes'' that are generally made of cow or goat milk. In addition, agricultural producers from this region, primarily market gardeners, are often present at the markets of Lyon. For instance, the French commune of Thurins calls itself the raspberry capital of France.

Traditions

The ''Mères''

The name ''Mères lyonnaises'' (En: Mothers of Lyon) refers to the female cooks who gave birth to Lyon's current gourmet reputation. Their history was linked to the rise of automobile tourism, as promoted by the

Michelin Guide The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The acquisition or loss of ...

, and the development of the city of Lyon under mayor Edouard Herriot. In the mid-19th century, these women of modest means, initially the cooks in large middle-class households in Lyon, decided to start their own businesses, serving dishes that mixed homemade and traditional cuisine. Many more women joined their numbers during the Great Depression, when they were let go from the wealthy households that employed them. While starting out serving a client base of working-class people, such as journeymen, in this industrial city, the reputation of their meals soon spread to a much wealthier clientele. Celebrities, businessmen and politicians came to frequent these establishments despite the mixing of the social classes, particularly in the Golden Age of the ''Mères'', during the Inter-War period. They offered a menu that was simple (four or five traditional dishes) yet refined enough to guarantee both culinary pleasure and a welcoming ambiance. The first historical mention of a ''Mère'' dates back to ''Mère Guy'' in 1759. Located on the Rhône River in the Mulatière region, her self-named '' guinguette'' (En: open-air restaurant) specialized in ''matelote d'anguilles'', a dish of stewed eels in white/red-wine sauce. A century later, her granddaughters, referred to as ''La Génie'' (En: the Genius) and ''Maréchal'', became the new face of ''Mère Guy'', bringing back classic recipes, including their grandmother's stewed eels, the dish that "made the ''Mère Guy'' reputation." This reputation attracted honoured guests, including the Empress Eugénie on her annual visit to the thermal waters of neighbouring Aix-les-Bains. Around this time (1830-1850), ''Mère Brigousse'' ran a restaurant in the Charpennes district of Lyon. One of her most popular dishes was ''Tétons de Vénus'' (En: Venus' breasts), large breast-shaped ''quenelles''. ''Mère Fillioux'' (

Françoise Fillioux Françoise Fillioux (or Filloux, 2 September 1865 – 22 October 1925), known as "La Mère Fillioux" or "La Mère Filloux", was a French chef, proprietor of a famous restaurant in Lyon. Among her successors was Eugénie Brazier who worked in her ki ...

, 1865–1925) was the first ''Mère'' whose "reputation was known well beyond the limits of the city and region."Serex, Anthony. ''Le dico de Lyon''. (Petit Futé, 2012). She established a restaurant on 73 rue Duquesne, known for a simple, unchanging menu featuring her own culinary creations, such as ''volaille demi-deuil'' (En: fowl in half-mourning). The dish takes its name from her technique of cooking "a fattened hen with slivers of truffle inserted between skin and flesh. The alternating black and white appearance of the flesh explains the term ‘half mourning’, a period following the all-black dress of full mourning, when it was acceptable for widows to alternate black and white or grey clothing." Specialities such as these, "turned out with such generosity and devotion to perfection...made her famous to gourmets the world over within her lifetime." As early as the 1920s, ''

Mère Bourgeois Marie Bourgeois (1870-1937) was a French chef who gained Michelin Guide, three Michelin stars from 1933 to 1937 for her restaurant in Priay in the Ain region, France. Biography Marie Bourgeois was born in Villette-sur-Ain in 1870. In the 1920s, ...

'' (Marie Bourgeois) was making a name for herself in the region. In 1933, she became one of the first women to receive 3 stars from the Michelin Guide for her restaurant in Priay, in the Rhône-Alpes department of Ain. Lyon - Restaurant de la Mère Brazier

Also in 1933, ''Mère Brazier'' (

Eugénie Brazier Eugénie Brazier (12 June 1895 – 2 March 1977), known as "la Mère Brazier", was a French chef who, in 1933, became the first person awarded six Michelin stars, three each at two restaurants: La Mère Brazier in the rue Royale, one of the ...

, 1895–1977), "the highest achiever"Chelminski, Rudolph. ''I'll Drink to That: Beaujolais Wine and the French Peasant Who Made it the World's Most Popular Wine''. (New York: Penguin Books (USA) Inc., 2007). of all the ''Mères'', was awarded this distinction for both of her restaurants, one on 12 rue Royale and the other on Col de la Luère in Lyon, giving her a total of 6 stars. Trained by the renowned ''Mère Fillioux'', she was "the first woman to receive

his many stars His or HIS may refer to: Computing * Hightech Information System, a Hong Kong graphics card company * Honeywell Information Systems * Hybrid intelligent system * Microsoft Host Integration Server Education * Hangzhou International School ...

for two restaurants simultaneously" and "rose to become Lyon's most renowned chef" of the time. Guests of ''Mère Brazier'' included the mayor, Edouard Herriot, and celebrities such as poet/screenwriter Jacques Prévert and singer Édith Piaf. Paul Bocuse, a chef "more famous

n Lyon N, or n, is the fourteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...

than whoever happens to be mayor" and the longest-standing recipient of 3 Michelin stars (over 40 years), apprenticed under ''Mère Brazier''. Bocuse attributes much of his success to those formative years, a sentiment echoed "by many of Lyon's great chefs"Charvier, Annie. ''Memoire d’hier - Lyon 1900-1920''. (Éditions de Borée, 2007). who received similar culinary training under ''les Mères''. Among these chefs is Alain Alexanian (L'Alexandrin restaurant and A Point Café), whose career began with an apprenticeship under ''Mère Castaing'' (Paulette Castaing), a two-time Michelin star recipient for her restaurant L'Ouest in Beau-Rivage, in the Condrieu region. Chef Georges Blanc was similarly influenced by his grandmother Élisa, known as ''Mère Blanc'', whose restaurant in Vonnas became the seat "of a veritable amilydynasty of great chefs." In 1933, she was described as "the best cook in the world" by Curnonsky, a well-known food critic. Other ''Mères'' include ''Mère Vittet'', who established a restaurant near Lyon's Perrache train station, and ''Mère Léa'', who ran La Voûte (En: the Vault) in Lyon's Place Antonin Gouju. Some of her dishes included '' tablier de sapeur'' (literally meaning sapper's apron - a dish of pan-fried tripe), ''macaroni gratin'', and ''choucroute au champagne'' (an adaptation of ''choucroute garnie'', "sauerkraut cooked and served with meat," usually "pork, sausages and often potatoes" made with Champagne instead of RieslingAli-Bab. ''Gastronomie pratique: Une bible gourmande en 5000 recettes''. (Paris: Flammarion, 2001).), for which she was awarded a Michelin star. Known as a woman who was quick to share her opinions (often quite loudly), ''Mère Léa'' would go to the Saint Antoine market each morning pushing a large cart with a sign that read "''Attention! Faible femme, forte en gueule''" (En: Beware! Weak woman, strong voice). Still others include ''Mère Pompom'', ''Mère Charles'', ''La Grande Marcelle'', ''Mère Jean'', ''La Mélie'', ''Mère Carron'', ''Madame Andrée'' and ''Tante Paulette''.

Traditional dishes of Lyon

Regional wines are served at the

bouchon A bouchon is a type of restaurant found in Lyon, France, that serves traditional Lyonnaise cuisine, such as sausages, coq-au-vin, "salade lyonnaise" duck pâté or roast pork. Compared to other forms of French cooking such as '' nouvelle cu ...

s of Lyon. The city is also famous for its morning snacks, formerly had by its silk workers. The mâchons, made up of local

are usually accompanied by Beaujolais red wine. Traditional local dishes include: * Rosette lyonnaise * Saucisson de Lyon (sausage) * Andouillette (a sausage of coarsely cut tripe) *

Saucisson brioché Saucisson () or saucisson sec is a family of thick, dry-cured sausages in French cuisine. Typically made of pork, or a mixture of pork and other meats, saucisson are a type of charcuterie similar to salami or summer sausage. Origin Saucisso ...

* Coq au vin * Gras double (

cooked with onions) * Salade lyonnaise, lettuce with bacon, croûtons and a poached egg * marrons glacés * Coussin de Lyon * Cardoon au gratin. * Cervelle de canut (lit. silk worker's brains) is a cheese spread/dip named for the "brain of the silkworker". The dish has a base of fromage blanc, seasoned with chopped herbs, shallots, salt, pepper, olive oil and vinegar. * Lyonnaise potatoes * Sauce lyonnaise * Sabodet * Tablier de sapeur *

Quenelle __NOTOC__ A quenelle () is a mixture of creamed fish or meat, sometimes combined with breadcrumbs, with a light egg binding, formed into an egg-like shape, and then cooked. The usual preparation is by poaching. Formerly, quenelles were often u ...

, a mixture of creamed fish, chicken, or meat, sometimes combined with breadcrumbs, with a light egg binding. Lyon and Nantua are famous for their ''quenelles de brochet'' ( mousseline) (pike quenelles), often served with cream sauce and run under the salamander grill. * Tacos lyonnais, fast food dish invented in the early 2000s now worldwide famous. *

Bugnes Angel wings are a traditional sweet crisp pastry made out of dough that has been shaped into thin twisted ribbons, deep-fried and sprinkled with powdered sugar. Common to many European cuisines, angel wings have been incorporated into other r ...

* Praline rose

References

Sources

* Claustres, Francine (1998)
''La cuisine lyonnaise''
Gisserot.