Lyon, city of the palate

Thursday, 16 December 2010 - 02:46 am (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination:
Category/Kategorie: General
Reading Time:  6 minutes

Lyon Panorama © Elwood J. Blues

Lyon Panorama © Elwood J. Blues

Lyon is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region. With 480,000 inhabitants Lyon is the third biggest city after Paris and Marseille. Economically, Lyon is a major centre for banking and the chemical, pharmaceutical, and biotech industries. The city contains a significant software industry with a particular focus on video games, and has focussed in recent years on a growing local start-up sector. The city hosts the international headquarters of Interpol, Euronews and International Agency for Research on Cancer.

Town Hall of Lyon © Brücke-Osteuropa

Town Hall of Lyon © Brücke-Osteuropa

Two thousand years of history have left their mark on the cityscape. Lyon’s rich heritage resources reflect the different eras and tell the story of the city. Lyon’s listing by UNESCO as a World Heritage site gives recognition to two exceptional features: “continuity of urban development” -the listed site covers a territory of 500 hectares (1235 acres) where the entire history of the city can be seen, from the founding of the Roman city of Lugdunum. And as “an outstanding illustration of city planning over the centuries” in this continually populated and active territory.

The Visitors Bureau offers a variety of package deals and services to help you discover Lyon: the Lyon City Card, a weekend pass, guided tours or self-guided audio tours… For individuals or groups, for business or private tourism – the Visitors Bureau has just the right solution for you.

Paul Bocuse © Arnaud 25

Paul Bocuse © Arnaud 25

Since the 16th century, Lyon’s cuisine has delighted many a customer in its “bouchon” bistros and in its first restaurants. These palate-pleasers will never disappoint and the traditional tastes remain intact. Lyon’s cuisine owes its virtuosity first of all to the quality of local products. The farms of the Bresse and Charolais regions, the wild game of the Dombes, the fish from the Savoy lakes, the fruits and vegetables of the Rhone valley and the Forez region are all within easy reach and supply the essential ingredients for Lyon’s famed cuisine. The local culinary specialties are plentiful and varied: pork products and “Cervelle de Canuts” soft cheese with herbs, “bugnes” beignets, fried pork fat, Lyonnais salad, “tablier de sapeur” tripes, “gras double” tripes, “petit salé” ham with lentils, “quenelles” dumplings (a mixture of butter, semolina and fish), black pudding, “andouillette” chitterling sausage, “paillasson” fried hashed potatoes, and more, if you’re still hungry!

ONLY LYON - Place Bellecour © Stefan Schäfer

ONLY LYON – Place Bellecour © Stefan Schäfer

But cooking is promoted to the rank of gastronomy when man adds imagination and a master’s touch. Rather, we should say, woman, for in Lyon it is the “mothers”, those famous robust cooks, who gave Lyonnais cuisine its very special character. When many large bourgeois families in the first half of the 20th century had to let go their in-house cooks, some of the women set up their own restaurant business. The first of these “mothers”, as they were known, was Mère Guy, followed by Mère Filloux and Mère Brazier, Mère Bourgeois and Mère Léa, who practiced their art at the beginning of this century, pleasing the palates of the most important personages of their time. Some famous recipes include the poularde demi-deuil (pullet hen with black truffles), cardoons with bone marrow and chicken liver soufflé.

Lyon © Calips

Lyon © Calips

Today, people uphold the tradition and many local 3-star restaurants (awarded by the Michelin Guide) carry the banner of Lyon cuisine throughout France and the world. You’ll have a meal to remember, be it with the great chefs or in the humble “bouchons”, these small traditional restaurants with picturesque interiors, serving local pork dish specialties, copiously washed down with bottles of Beaujolais or Côtes du Rhône wine.

Over 1000 restaurants contribute to the inviting and festive atmosphere of the city, along with the great chefs who are its ambassadors, but also thanks to such initiatives as the Food Trade Exhibition and the School of Culinary Arts and Hotel Management.

To inform you about latest news most of the city, town or tourism websites offer a newsletter service and/or operate Facepage pages/Twitter accounts. Read more on City of Lyon, Lyon-France.com and Wikipedia Lyon. Learn more about the use of photos.




Recommended posts:

Share this post: (Please note data protection regulations before using buttons)

Château Margaux and Château Lascombes in Margaux-Cantenac

Château Margaux and Château Lascombes in Margaux-Cantenac

[caption id="attachment_196703" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Château Margaux © Benjamin Zingg/cc-by-sa-2.5[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Château Margaux, archaically La Mothe de Margaux, is a wine estate of Bordeaux wine, and was one of four wines to achieve Premier cru (first growth) status in the Bordeaux Classification of 1855. The estate's best wines are very expensive, with a standard-sized bottle of the Château Margaux grand vin retailing at an average price of $639. The estate is located in the commune of Margaux on t...

[ read more ]

Theme Week New Zealand - Auckland, City of Sails

Theme Week New Zealand - Auckland, City of Sails

[caption id="attachment_6536" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Auckland Marina © Joseph Watkins/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]The Auckland metropolitan area, in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country. It has 1,377,200 residents, which is 31 percent of the country's population. Auckland has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world. In Māori Auckland's names are Tāmaki Makaurau, and the transliterated version of Auckland, Ākarana. The 2011 Mercer Q...

[ read more ]

The Spanish Virgin Islands

The Spanish Virgin Islands

[caption id="attachment_150625" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Vieques - Shoreline at Esperanza © Rar285/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]The Spanish Virgin Islands, formerly called the Passage Islands and also known as the Puerto Rican Virgin Islands, primarily consisting of the islands of Culebra and Vieques, are part of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and are located east of the main island of Puerto Rico. Puerto Rican tourist literature uses the name Spanish Virgin Islands, but most general maps and atlases...

[ read more ]

The Bering Strait tunnel linking Asia and North America

The Bering Strait tunnel linking Asia and North America

[caption id="attachment_2659" align="aligncenter" width="385" caption="Bering Strait map © worldarchitecturenews.com"][/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]London to New York rail journey on horizon It was first mooted as long ago 1905 by Tsar Nicholas 11, but this week the Kremlin finally gave the green light for a 65 mile (106 km) tunnel linking Asia and North America, taking the epic project a step nearer reality. The conference in Yakutsk was hosted by Yegor Borisov the Governor and the project was ratified by President Medve...

[ read more ]

Radom at the foot of the Holy Cross Mountains

Radom at the foot of the Holy Cross Mountains

[caption id="attachment_160688" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Building of the City Council by night © Voytek S/GFDL[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Radom is a city in central Poland with 224, 000 inhabitants. It is located on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Voivodeship (since 1999), having previously been the capital of Radom Voivodeship (1975–1998); 100 km south of Poland's capital, Warsaw. In spite of being part of the Masovian Voivodeship, the city historically belongs to Lesser Poland. It is home to the biennial Ra...

[ read more ]

Theme Week Tunisia - Bizerte

Theme Week Tunisia - Bizerte

[caption id="attachment_168270" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Old Port and Kashba of Bizerte © O.Mustafin[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Bizerte, also known in English as Bizerta, is a town of Bizerte Governorate. It is the northernmost city in Africa, located 65 km (40mil) north of the capital Tunis. The city had 143,000 inhabitants in 2014. Bizerte is on a section of widened inlet and east-facing coast of the north coast of Tunisia, 15 kilometres from Ras ben Sakka (the northernmost point in Africa on the Mediterranean Sea), 20...

[ read more ]

HaKirya in Tel Aviv

HaKirya in Tel Aviv

[caption id="attachment_234995" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Sarona Compound © Doraharon/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]HaKirya, or The Kirya (lit.: The Campus), is an area in central Tel Aviv, consisting of an urban military base north of Kaplan Street, and a civilian area south of it. HaKirya contains the Tel Aviv District's government center and the major Israel Defense Forces (IDF) base Camp Rabin, named for Yitzhak Rabin. It was one of the first IDF bases and has served as the IDF's headquarters since its found...

[ read more ]

Theme Week Mexico - Cabo San Lucas

Theme Week Mexico - Cabo San Lucas

[caption id="attachment_164402" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Marina © Cristo Vlahos/cc-by-sa-4.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Cabo San Lucas, commonly called Cabo in American English, is a city at the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula, in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. Cabo San Lucas together with San José del Cabo is known as Los Cabos. Cabo has been rated as one of Mexico's top 5 tourist destinations; it is known for its beaches, scuba diving locations, balnearios, the sea arch El Arco de Cabo San Luc...

[ read more ]

Ady Gil, formerly Earthrace

Ady Gil, formerly Earthrace

[caption id="attachment_153678" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Ady Gil in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia © www.noodlesnacks.com[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]MY Ady Gil (formerly Earthrace) was a 78-foot (24 m), wave-piercing trimaran, which was originally created as part of a project to break the world record for circumnavigating the globe in a powerboat. The vessel was powered by biodiesel fuel, but was also capable of running on regular diesel fuel. It used other eco-friendly materials, such as vegetable oil lubricants, hemp comp...

[ read more ]

Nottingham and Robin Hood

Nottingham and Robin Hood

[caption id="attachment_160567" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Nottingham Montage © PawełMM[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group. Whilst Nottingham has always had a tightly-drawn boundary (accounting for its relatively small population of 307,000), Nottingham's Urban Area has a population of approximately 806,000; it is the seventh larg...

[ read more ]

Return to TopReturn to Top
Malmö Collage © Twowells
Malmö, Sweden’s gateway to the continent

Over the past decade, Malmö has undergone a most dramatic post-industrial transformation. This cosmopolitan city has "reclaimed" the seafront, where...

City Hall © Hans G. Oberlack
Vaduz actually derives from “water pipe” and not from “money pipe”

Vaduz, with the Princely Residence, the Government and Parliament, is the capital of Liechtenstein. In the town center, known as...

Luxembourg Fortress from Adolphe Bridge © Cayambe
Luxembourg, Gibraltar of the north

Whilst the Luxembourg fortress was a true textbook example of European military architecture, it has changed hands many times over...

Schließen