A bouchon is a type of restaurant found in

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, that serves traditional

Lyonnaise cuisine Lyonnaise cuisine refers to cooking traditions and practices centering on the area around the French city of LyonKindersley, Dorling (2011)''Ultimate Food Journeys: The World's Best Dishes and Where to Eat Them'' Penguin. p. 49. and historical ...

, such as sausages, coq-au-vin, "salade lyonnaise" duck pâté or roast pork. Compared to other forms of French cooking such as ''

nouvelle cuisine ''Nouvelle cuisine'' (; ) is an approach to cooking and food presentation in French cuisine. In contrast to cuisine classique, an older form of haute cuisine, nouvelle cuisine is characterized by lighter, more delicate dishes and an increased e ...

'', the dishes are quite hearty. There are approximately twenty officially certified traditional bouchons, but a larger number of establishments describe themselves using the term. Typically, the emphasis in a bouchon is not on ''

haute cuisine ''Haute cuisine'' (; ) or ''grande cuisine'' is the cuisine of "high-level" establishments, gourmet restaurants, and luxury hotels. ''Haute cuisine'' is characterized by the meticulous preparation and careful presentation of food at a high pric ...

'' but, rather, a convivial atmosphere and a personal relationship with the owner.

History

The tradition of bouchons came from small inns visited by silk workers passing through Lyon in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. According to the dictionary ''

Le petit Robert ''Le Petit Robert de la Langue Française'' (), known as just ''Petit Robert'', is a popular single-volume French dictionary first published by Paul Robert in 1967. It is an abridgement of his eight-volume ''Dictionnaire alphabétique et analogi ...

'', this name derives from the 16th century expression for a bunch of twisted straw. A representation of such bundles began to appear on signs to designate the restaurants and, by metonymy, the restaurants themselves became known as bouchons. The more common use of "bouchons" as a stopper or cork at the mouth of a bottle, and its derivatives, have the same etymology.

Today

Since 1997, Pierre Grison and his organization, ''L'Association de défense des bouchons lyonnais'' (The Association for the Preservation of Lyonnais Bouchons), bestow annual certifications to restaurants as "authentic" bouchons. These restaurants receive the title ''Les Authentiques Bouchons Lyonnais'' and are identified with a sticker showing the

marionette A marionette (; french: marionnette, ) is a puppet controlled from above using wires or strings depending on regional variations. A marionette's puppeteer is called a marionettist. Marionettes are operated with the puppeteer hidden or revealed ...

Gnafron, a Lyonnais symbol of the pleasures of dining, with a glass of wine in one hand and a napkin bearing the Lyon crest in the other.Cuisine des Gones
(French) Retrieved May 13, 2010. The following list, subject to some fluctuation as the certification is bestowed annually, contains most of the certified bouchons: ''Abel'', ''Brunet'', ''Café des deux places'', ''Café des fédérations'', ''Chabert et fils'', ''Daniel et Denise'', ''Chez Georges le petit bouchon'', ''Les gones'', ''Hugon'', ''Le Jura'', ''Chez Marcelle'', ''Le Mercière'', ''La mère Jean'', ''Le mitonné'', ''Le Morgon'', ''Le musée'', ''Chez Paul'', ''Les Trois Maries'', ''A ma vigne'', and ''Le Vivarais''. While many bouchons are now oriented strongly towards the tourist market, with increased prices and less traditional fare as a result, a typical meal in a real bouchon costs around €12-15 .

Cuisine

Typical items in the bouchon repertoire include: ;Soup:

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's st ...

soup, pumpkin soup ;Salads and cold appetizers:

Chicken liver The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult m ...

salad, pork

head cheese Head cheese (Dutch: ''hoofdkaas'') or brawn is a cold cut terrine or meat jelly that originated in Europe. It is made with flesh from the head of a calf or pig (less commonly a sheep or cow), typically set in aspic, and usually eaten cold, ...

, ''groins d'âne'' salad (literally, "donkey snout" salad),moulinhuile
(French) Retrieved May 13, 2010. marinated herrings, ''salade Lyonnaise'' (

lettuce Lettuce (''Lactuca sativa'') is an annual plant of the family Asteraceae. It is most often grown as a leaf vegetable, but sometimes for its stem and seeds. Lettuce is most often used for salads, although it is also seen in other kinds of food, ...

with bacon,

croutons A crouton is a piece of rebaked bread, often cubed and seasoned. Croutons are used to add texture and flavor to salads—notably the Caesar salad— or eaten as a snack food. Etymology The word crouton is derived from the French ''croûton' ...

mustard Mustard may refer to: Food and plants * Mustard (condiment), a paste or sauce made from mustard seeds used as a condiment * Mustard plant, one of several plants, having seeds that are used for the condiment ** Mustard seed, seeds of the mustard p ...

dressing, and a

poached egg A poached egg is an egg that has been cooked, outside the shell, by poaching (or sometimes steaming), as opposed to simmering or boiling. This method of preparation can yield more delicately cooked eggs than cooking at higher temperatures such as ...

) ;Hot appetizers: ''gateau de volaille'' (chicken liver cake), ''

boudin Boudin () are various kinds of sausage in French, Luxembourgish, Belgian, Swiss, Québécois, Acadian, Aostan, Louisiana Creole, and Cajun cuisine. Etymology The Anglo-Norman word meant 'sausage', 'blood sausage' or 'entrails' in general. ...

noir'' (blood sausage, usually served with warm apples) ;Offal:

Andouillette Andouillette () is a French coarse-grained sausage made from the intestine of pork, pepper, wine, onions, and seasonings. Andouillettes are generally made from the large intestine and are in diameter. True andouillettes are rarely seen outsid ...

(

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the domestic pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved; ...

offal sausage), assorted

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 refe ...

gratin Gratin () is a culinary technique in which an ingredient is topped with a browned crust, often using breadcrumbs, grated cheese, egg or butter.Courtine, Robert J. (ed.) (2003) ''The Concise Larousse Gastronomique'' London: Hamlyn The term ma ...

tablier de sapeur Tablier de sapeur (; literal meaning: sapper's apron) is a Lyonnais speciality dish make from beef tripe, specifically the ''gras-double'', which is the membrane of the rumen. It was formerly known as tablier de Gnafron (; literal meaning: Gnafr ...

;Fish: Stingray, quenelles (ground fish dumplings), grilled fillets ;Meat:

Coq au vin ''Coq au vin'' (; , "rooster/cock with wine") is a French dish of chicken braised with wine, lardons, mushrooms, and optionally garlic. A red Burgundy wine is typically used, though many regions of France make variants using local wines, such ...

pot-au-feu (; ; "pot on the fire") is a French dish of boiled beef and vegetables, usually served as two courses: the broth and then the solid ingredients. The chef Raymond Blanc has called ''pot-au-feu'' "the quintessence of French family cuisine, ... t ...

(

pot roast Pot roast is an American beef dish made by slow-cooking a usually tough cut of beef in moist heat. Tougher cuts such as chuck steak, bottom round, short ribs and 7-bone roast are preferred for this technique. These cuts are American terms; d ...

), chicken thighs stuffed with morels ;Vegetables: Cardoon ''à la moelle'' (in bone marrow), '' barboton'', ''pailasson de Lyon'' ;Cheese: '' Saint-Marcellin'', '' Saint-Félicien'', ''

Rigotte de Condrieu The rigotte de Condrieu is a type of cheese made with goat's milk which originates in the Lyonnaise region of France and is named after the town of Condrieu Condrieu () is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France. It is situated ...

'' ;Desserts: ''tarte praline'' ( praline tart),

lemon meringue pie Lemon meringue pie is a dessert pie consisting of a shortened pastry base filled with lemon curd and topped with meringue. History Fruit desserts covered with baked meringue were found beginning in the 18th century in France. Menon's ''pom ...

, caramelized apples, '' bugnes de Lyon'' (miniature

beignet Beignet ( , also , ; ) is a type of ''fritter'', or deep-fried pastry, usually made from yeast dough in France, possibly made from pâte à choux and called Pets-de-nonne, nun's fart, in France, but may also be made from other types of dough, i ...

References

Bibliography

*{{cite book, title=Les Bonnes Recettes des Bouchons Lyonnais, author=Everylen et Jean-Marc Boudou, publisher= Libris, year=2003, isbn=2-84799-002-X Entertainment in Lyon Restaurants in Lyon Restaurants by type

History

Today

Cuisine

See also

References

Bibliography