Lyon, France a Gastronomic Delight
Lyon, originally named Lugdunum by the Romans in 43 BC, lies at the confluence of the Rhone and Saone rivers in France. This 2000+ year old city is the gastronomic capital of France and home to many famous chefs including Paul Bocuse, twice named chef of the century. Lyon is a very walkable city and bike friendly too! If you are staying for a few days and want to see as much as possible, pick up a Lyon City Card for access to museums, Basilique Notre Dame de Fourvier, city tours, and even local transportation.
With over 4,300 restaurants in Lyon metro area and 15 Michelin star restaurants, you will have no problems finding something wonderful to eat. However, if you love authentic experiences, you must try eating at a “bouchon” at least once while there. Bouchons are small mom and pop type cafes that will serve traditional food from locally sourced ingredients. Some would call it comfort food. They originated during the beginning of the 20th century when many large bourgeois families let their cooks go and the Meres (mothers) then opened their own restaurants. The best are certified by “Les Authentiques Bouchons Lyonnais” and you will see the plaque outside the establishment.
As the gastronomic capital it is hard to select just a few items to try but here are a few. Lyon
is famous for various versions of sausage including boiled pork sausage with pistachios or black truffle sprinkles, “Boudin Blanc” which is a veal sausage, or boudin noir aux pommes, blood sausage with apples. You must try the quenelles while there, which are light dumplings, usually fish and served in a creamy sauce. You can not be in France and skip the cheese. Their most famous is the local St Marcellin.
Traditional desserts of Lyon include the “Tarte Aux Praline” It is a reddish pink crème fraiche with crushed sugar coated almonds, Les bugnes lyonnaises , thin fried dough sprinkled with powdered sugar, and Coussin de Lyon a chocolate ganache coated with a thin layer of candied marzipan.
You are in wine country so take advantage of it. Start with a Communard, a deep red aperitif of Beaujolais wine mixed with crème de cassis. This aperitif is named after the supporters of the Paris Commune killed in 1871. With your meal, you will ask for a “pot”, a carafe-like glass bottle, of Brouilly, Beaujolais, Cote du Rhone, or Macon.
You will need at least 3 days to see most of Lyon so I have only included the top few sights to see. Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse, this local indoor food market is something to
experience like a local. Grab some cheese and a dry cured sausage and head over to the park for a picnic or try one of the sit-down stalls’ offerings. Fourviere Hill offers a challenge of steps to the top or take the funicular. Either way, you simply must see the view from the top. Musee des Beaux Arts has a collection that is said to be second in France to the Louvre. History buffs should stop by Centre d’Histoire de la Resistance et de la Deportation, now a museum, was once the WWII headquarters of Gestapo commander Klaus Barbie and shows the role Lyon played as the capital of the resistance.
Photos top to bottom: Lyon, Quenelles, Coussin de Lyon, Fourviere Hill
