Food On the grill

Cervelle de Canut, a refreshing spread

Vervelle de canut © Fanfo / Shutterstock 319264619

By Marine

Published on 22/08/2022

Don’t be put off by the gory-sounding name (translator’s note: ‘Cervelle de Canut’ literally means ‘silk-worker’s brains’), because this Lyonnais speciality has nothing to do with offal and is in fact suitable for vegetarians!

Despite what its name suggests, ‘Cervelle de Canut’ contains not a gram of meat. According to the journalist Yves Rouèche, author of Gastronomie Lyonnaise: les trésors retrouvés, the name is derived from the slightly jelly-like texture of this whisked fromage frais, which used to be known as ‘claqueret’. It is seasoned with garlic, chive, shallots, a drizzle of olive oil and a dash of vinegar.

During the time of the Canuts (as Lyon’s silk-workers were known), this local speciality was the main component of the ‘mâchon’, a hearty morning meal that was served around 8 am in the silk workshops of the Croix-Rousse, where the ‘bistanclaque’ sounds (an onomatope) of the weaving looms rang out.

As the story goes, while the Mère Léa (a famous local female cook) and Paul Lacombe vied for the title of the best Cervelle de Canut in the 1950s, it was the former chef of Le Bistrot de Lyon who made it popular. Yves Rouèche wrote that “…in 1971, as a joke, his friends at the time, including Paul Bocuse, organised an official ceremony, during which they changed the name plate on his street to Rue Léon de Lyon - Paul Lacombe, inventor of the Cervelle de Canut.”

While it used to be served with potatoes or fish, it is now eaten as an aperitif snack, on toast, or as a cheese course.

To taste this local speciality, we recommend visiting one of Lyon’s many ‘bouchons’ (authentic local eateries), such as Daniel et Denise, Le Café du Jura or Les Fines Gueules. You will also find it at the gastronomic restaurant of Chef Guy Lassausaie. To take away, it is sold at several cheese shops, such as La Laiterie de Lyon, where it is made with 100% local curd cheese, and La Crèmerie Lyonnaise, where it is made with an airier texture, almost like a mousse.

You can try to get the recipe, but bear in mind that it varies from one individual to another, and the mixture of herbs used is a jealously guarded secret…