Monday, July 4, 2011

10. Chocolates, macaroons, coussins, oh my!



While I was aware Lyon is well-known for being the gastronomical capital of France, it seems to also be the chocolate capital. Partially hidden between cafés and boutiques, chocolateries and confiseries can be found on every street. Some are well-known—les maisons of Voisin, Bernachon, and Bouillet among the most famous—but the piles of colorful macaroons and glistening truffles that line all the window displays look equally scrumptious to me. I constantly want to press my nose against the glass, drooling over miniature tarts topped with sugar-coated raspberries and squares of dark chocolate ganache.
It is perhaps fortunate that these confectionery concoctions are almost too pretty to eat and cost a fortune to boot—close to 1€ for a single truffle or macaroon. We’re talking the same price as a baguette or enough lettuce to feed a family of 10, so indulge wisely.
One must-have while in Lyon is the Coussin, a specialty of Lyon and the chocolatier Voisin. Made of pale green marzipan filled with chocolate ganache, it resembles a miniature silk cushion, or “coussin,” and is a nod to the city’s past. During the 1643 plague, the aldermen of Lyon organized a procession, praying to the Virgin Mary for relief from the epidemic. They carried a seven-pound candle of wax and a gold crown on a green silk cushion—the inspiration for this delicious confection.
And it seems the Lyonnais take their chocolates seriously. In 2005, a crowd prevented Nicolas Sarkozy from entering the famed Bouillet chocolatier, located atop Croix-Rousse. Protesting the politician with signs that read “Vous n'êtes pas le bienvenu,” they also deprived him of melt-in-your-mouth macaroons in every flavor imaginable. A true punishment, indeed.
Luckily this was an unusual occurrence—the chocolateries are warm and inviting, with chocolate makers ready to explain every last citrus-infused filling or flavor. A warning, however: once you enter, it is impossible to leave without something sweet. Or two.