Original gifts to bring back from Lyon.

Unique Souvenirs from Lyon

Saucissons and Cheeses

So you’ve tasted the delicious assorted meats from Lyon and you’d like to take some home? Head to Les Halles Paul Bocuse, the stomach of Lyon, where you can choose from the 4 most reputed “Charcutiers” in Lyon who supply a number of local restaurants. Gast, Cellerier, Sibilia and Bobosse.

The sellers can prepare for you andouillettes, pâté en croute or uncooked sausages all vacuum packed. The items that travel the best are dried saucissons such as the famous Jesus or Rosette varieties. For the famous “Quenelles of Lyon” there are two storefronts: Malartre et Giraudet.

There are also several reputed cheese sellers (Mons, Mère Richard, Cellerier….) To find a great bottle of regional wine, the shop Fac & Spera, founded by Rhone winemaker Michel Chapoutier offers you a fine range of Cotes du Rhone and Bourgogne.

Halles de Lyon, 102 cours Lafayette, Lyon 3eme. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 7h to 13h

“Y” a T-shirt generation

La Tribu des Gones is a brand and also a boutique which has been based in Vieux Lyon for the last 7 years. This gift shop offers notably T shirts and aprons sporting the quote “plaisante sagesse lyonnaise” which can be translated as “The peaceful wisdom of living in Lyon” (originating from a book of local quotes published in1920)

There is always the Y, which is very much a part of local language and seen often. There is also the famous line “Not everyone can live in Lyon, that’s why there are other places” which can be found on kitchen aprons and T-shirts. In English there is also the slogan “In gone (kid) we trust”

Tribu des gones, 22 rue Saint-Jean, Lyon 5e.

Birdy Kids silkscreen, the new symbol of Lyon

The old lion can go back to sleep. The city now has a new mascot, that of a strange coloured bird.

For twenty years the three Birdy Kids graffiti artists have painted their farmyard birds all over the city, from the outer ring road of the city to the walls of the beautiful neighbourhoods and the locals have happily made them their own. The group therefore decided to put their creation on silkscreens and T-shirts. So the bird can travel….

Available at Kiosque de Lyon, place Bellecour

The shop “Made in Lyon”

Kiosque In Lyon, which can be found behind the tourist office pavillion at place Bellecour, is dusting off the souvenir business. The manager Céline Berne has large and small brands all of which are “made in Lyon”, such as scarves by Gilles Havair, chocolates by Voisin and Sève, jewelery from the Atelier Lyonnais, stockings by Marie-Antoilette, Paul Bocuse aprons or local wines.

The shop also promotes two brands in particular, “Tartin’Lyon” (patés for spreading) and “L comme Lyonnaise”. This last brand offers T-shirts for men and especially women bearing the logo “Lyonnaise” or “Presque Lyonnaise”. The store also sells bibs for children with the line “Petit pélo” which means “little boy” in Lyon slang, created by our friend Mr Simon.

Open Tuesday to Saturday from 10h to 19h. Place Bellecour. www.kiosqueinlyon.fr

Delicious chocolate

Lyon is a city with a 100 year old reputation for making chocolate and there are a handful of craftsmen and women (Bernachon, Bouillet, Sève, Richart, Bel, Saladino, Thevenon, Pralus ou Voisin…) who are reviving the creative use of cocoa.

The boutique Bernachon in the 6eme is the only place making their own chocolate directly from the cocoa beans. You must taste their famous desert “Le President” which was presented during a Paul Bocuse dinner at L’Elysée in 1975. From there you can bring back a box of “palets d’or”, small coin-shaped pieces of chocolate, very easy to slip into a suitcase.

You must also sample the creations from the home of Sébastien Bouillet, an imaginative chocolate maker who makes fizzy chocolate bars and chocolate flavoured with spicy peppers from Espelette, sticks of dynamite, red lipstick and 45rpm singles made of chocolate.

At Sève’s place you can also find chocolate bars “Bodi” in the shape of abdominal muscles.

Voisin, created in 1897, is the biggest chocolate maker in France and there are numerous shops around the city each offering their famous “coussin de Lyon” or “cushions of chocolate” which are made of marzipan and chocolate and they also have a delicious range of pralines.

The chocolate maker Francois Pralus, owner of cocoa bean plantations in Madagascar is a specialist in high quality chocolate bars sold in the shape of a pyramid.

In the local supermarkets you can also find the famous “papillotes” from Révillon, a chocolate and praline combination wrapped with a small written message. This confectionery was created in Lyon at the end of the 18th century and has become very popular in the south of France during New years Eve celebrations.

5  famous chocolate makers from Lyon

• Bernachon, 42 cours Franklin-Roosevelt, Lyon 6e.
• Bouillet, 15 place de la Croix-Rousse, Lyon 4e.
• Sève, Halles de Lyon, 102 cours Lafayette, Lyon 3e.
• Pralus, 32 rue de Brest, Lyon 2e.
• Voisin, www.chocolat-voisin.com

Cookies with the taste of Lyon

After a career in tourism, Veronique Goy began working in the cake and pastry business. This young woman created biscuits in the form of effigies of Lyon with butter shortbread encrusted with pieces of pink praline and covered in chocolate.

Christened “Irresistible Lyon”, her creations pay tribute to Lyon’s heritage and come in the shapes of the Basilique de Fourvière, Guignol, the Fete des Lumières or “The Little Prince”. These special biscuits are offered in boxes containing from 3 to 35 pieces (from 5,90 to 34,50€) and can be found in many shops around Lyon, notably at La Tribu des Gones or Kiosque in Lyon.

www.irresistiblementlyon.com

By Frederic Crouzet