Lyon specialties | The top 10 dishes to discover

When we talk about French cuisine, Lyon specialties always arrive among the first references. Between generous charcuteries, dishes plugs and sweets with pink praline, Lyon embodies a certain idea of gluttony. Whether you are preparing a trip to the Rhône-Alpes region or you just want to discover these flavors from abroad, these ten specialties summarize the spirit of Lyon gastronomy. We offer a horizon tour to better understand what makes these unique dishes, and how to enjoy them at home.

Lyon, capital of gastronomy: 10 specialties Lyonnaises to know

Reading time: ~ 10 min

Table of contents
1. Lyon Gastronomic Capital in the Rhône-Alpes landscape
2. Lyonian specialties essential
3. How to discover these Lyon specialties from abroad
4. Frequently asked questions about Lyon specialties
5. Conclusion on Lyon specialties

Lyon Gastronomic Capital in the Rhône-Alpes landscape

Lyon owes its reputation to a privileged location between mountain terroirs and fertile plains. The city benefits from Beaujolais wines and the Rhone Valley, vegetables of the plain of Ain, poultry of Bresse and Alpine cheeses. This central position in the Rhône-Alpes region has shaped a generous, rustic cuisine at the origin and sublimated by the Lyon Mothers and the high gastronomy.

At the heart of this tradition is the lyon cork. These small convivial tables serve popular dishes from slum, offal and cream, which gastronomic guides often put forward. This is where you will find several specialties of our selection as the quenels, the deck of sapor, the CANUT brain or the Lyon salad.

For you who live out of France, these Lyon specialties are an ideal gateway to all the flavors of the Rhône-Alpes region, from the cold cuts to the cheeses and emblematic desserts.

Lyonian specialties essential

1. The Lyon Quality

Absolute symbol of Lyon cuisine, the queenelle is a mellow paste prepared from semolina or flour, butter and eggs, often enriched with pike flesh. The tourist offices and gastronomic guides present it willingly with Nantua sauce, a creamy crayfish sauce, or served with a simple béchamel or a raised tomato sauce.

The secret of a good quenelle holds its light texture that must almost inflate on the plate. In a plug, you are happy to use it in main course, gratinated in the oven. At home, she associates very well with a dry white wine from the Rhone Valley to highlight the finesse of the pike.

2. The Lyon Rosette

The Lyon Rosette embodies the charming tradition of the city. It is a dry sausage prepared with pork, fat, spices and garlic, then slowly dried to obtain a characteristic perfume. Official tourist organizations systematically cite among the essentials of the Lyon Aperitif.

You will taste it in fine slices, nature or with a little butter and country bread. It perfectly illustrates the narrow link between Lyon and the Schonales, which make the reputation of the region well beyond the French borders. For an aperitif Plank with Lyon Accents, associate rosette, other dry sausages and some pickles.

3. The sapper deck

The sapper apron is one of the most typical plug dishes. It is double fat (part of the beef stomach) long marinated in white wine, cooked in a scented broth, then breaded and fried. Official sources recall that its name would refer to the leather apron carried by the military engineering sappers.

On the palate, a crisp flat is obtained outside and founding inside, often served with a gribiche sauce and steam potatoes. This dish illustrates the Lyon taste for offal, valued with care and technicality. If you discover the Lyon cuisine from the foreigner, the deck of sapor can surprise, but it perfectly sums up the canaille spirit of the city.

4. Lyonnaise salad

Under his apparent simplicity, the Lyon salad is a concentrate of gluttony. It usually associates green salad, gambles still hot, golden croutons and poached egg, all bound by a casual dressing. The Tourist Office of Lyon presents it as one of the emblematic entries of the city.

Served in a plug or in a contemporary bistro, this salad offers an interesting balance between freshness of salad, wealth of bacon and greed egg yolk that mixes with the sauce. It is often one of the entrances we recommend to discover the Lyon cuisine without going directly to the offal.

5. The CANUT brain

Despite his name, Canut's brain does not contain any brains. It is a white cheese seasoned with fresh herbs, chives or parsley, shallot and sometimes a little garlic, raised by olive oil or cream and a vinegar net. Lyon institutions present it as a pillar of the cheese trays in the region.

This dish pulls its name from the canuts, the Lyon Silk workers, and traditionally tasted with bread or potatoes. Its freshness makes it an excellent counterpoint to the richer dishes like the brioche sausage or the deck of sapor. For you who live out of France, Canut's brain is a very simple preparation to reproduce from a good white cheese.

6. The pink praline pie

On the sweet side, pink praline pie is one of Lyon's most famous images. It associates a dough often sandblasted and a lined pink praline filling with cream. The bright pink color of this garnish has become one of the distinctive signs of the city in tourist brochures.

The pink praline itself is an almond or a hazelnut coated with tainted caramelized sugar. Cooking melts these pralines in the cream to give a crunchy and melting filling at a time. This pie uses in dessert, usually in small shares because it is very sweet. It illustrates the Lyon taste for both simple and spectacular pastries.

7. The bugnes

The bugnes are part of the great tradition of carnival donuts. In Lyon, they are often fine and crisp, sometimes slightly twisted, sprinkled with icing sugar. Tourist offices present them as a classic of the period of Tuesday Gras, but we find all year in some pastries.

The dough, close to a brown paste enriched with butter and eggs, is very finely spread to get this light and crisp texture. For you who discover the distance Lyon specialties at a distance, the bugnes bring Lyon closer to other French regions that have their own carnival donuts, while keeping a well-marked identity.

8. Brioche sausage

Another star of the Lyonian pigs, the brioche sausage combines a sausage cooked to a fluffy brioche. The sausage is first poached, then wrapped in the dough and gilded in the oven. The tourist media regularly cite among the dishes to taste absolutely in Lyon.

Served in thick slices, often lukewarm, it makes a complete dish accompanied by a green salad or some potatoes. The contrast between the slightly sweet mellowness of the brioche and the pronounced taste of sausage makes it a very popular specialty of gourmet cooking lovers. For a home discovery, it is one of the dishes that travel best among the Lyon cuisine.

9. Gratin of cardons

Less known internationally, the gratin of cardons is a classic Lyon festive tables, especially around the end of the year. Cardon is a vegetable of the same family as artichoke, traditionally cultivated in the region. The stems are cooked and then gratin with a creamy sauce, sometimes enriched with cheese.

The tourist offices quote this dish as typical Christmas meals in the area. Its slightly bitter flavor evokes artichoke, and gratin makes it particularly comforting during winter meals. It is a beautiful way to connect Lyon gastronomy to other Savoyard or Dauphinian specialties in the Rhône-Alpes region, as well based on vegetables and dairy products.

10. The Lyon cushion

Lyon's cushion is a more contemporary creation that quickly found its place in the city's sweet heritage. It is a confectionery composed of a chocolate ganache scented with the liquor of Curacao, wrapped with green almond pulp and decorated with fine sugar lines.

This confectionery visually evokes a small cushion, wink to the historic heritage Lyonnais. It is often found in the city's downtown shops, gift boxes. For you who live out of France, the Lyon cushion is one of the easiest specialties to report to remember or discover your customers and guests.

How to discover these Lyon specialties from abroad

You do not necessarily need to be in Lyon to discover the Lyon gastronomy. Many specialties are suitable for shipping internationally, including charcuteries such as rosette or brioche sausage, some confectionery such as Lyon cushion and easy-to-use preparations for Canut's brain or salad Lyonnaise.

• Order charcuteries and confectionery Lyonnes who transport well, like the rosette, the brioche sausage or the cushion of Lyon.
• Reproduce simple recipes from products from products received or found locally, such as Canut's brain or Lyon salad.
• Composing a full Lyon cork menu by combining many of these specialties for a thematic tasting.

As a French ecry online, we select homes recognized for the quality of their products and ensure refrigerated delivery in Europe in 24 to 48 hours depending on the destinations, with isothermal packages adapted to fresh products. For restoration as for individuals, this allows you to recreate a true menu of Lyon cork or thematic tasting around the regional specialties.

The main limit concerns very fragile products or some soft cheeses, sometimes more difficult to carry over long distances. On the other hand, dry charcuteries, many cooked dishes and cookies or confectionery are very well exploring from abroad.

Frequently asked questions about Lyon specialties

What specialties Lyonnaises taste first?

If you do not have to choose three, we advise you to pike quenelle with Nantua Sauce for the hot dish, a plate of rosette from Lyon en entrance and a part of pink pralines to dessert. You will have an overview at once salty and sweet from Lyon gastronomy.

Where to eat authentic Lyonnaise specialites?

On site, privileged Lyon corks recognized by the guides and local organizations, which highlight a home and terroir kitchen. The cards often mention the emblematic dishes like the deck of sapor, the Lyon salad, the Quénelles and the CANUT brain.

Can we taste these specialties at home abroad?

Yes for many of them. Charcuterie, confectionery and some preparations are transported very well with adapted chilled logistics. You can complete with simple home recipes like Canut's brain or Lyon salad, from products you receive or find locally.

Are these dishes very rich?

Lyon cuisine is renowned. Many dishes use cream, butter, offal or charcuterie. You can balance your menu by alternating richer specialties (brioche sausage, sapper apron) and lighter options like the Lyon salad or the CANUT brain, which brings freshness.

What drinks serve with a Lyon meal?

Traditionally, we serve wines from the Rhone Valley or Beaujolais with Lyon dishes. A dry white wine will accompany the Quénelles, while a soft red will suit the rosette, in the brioche sausage or at the deck of sapor. For an international audience, you can also offer agreements with local wines while keeping the friendly mind from the cap.

Conclusion on Lyon specialties

The diversity of Lyon specialties makes it a great entrance gate in the cuisine of the Rhône-Alpes region, able to seduce both restoration professionals and curious amateurs. Whether you want to compose a Lyon Accents card or offer a typical French tasting experience to your customers in Europe, you can rely on a rigorous selection of local products. To go further and compose your own pig trays and cork menus, we invite you to explore our selection of french chasters and to discover our solutions for your establishmentor for your home tastings.