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cervelle de canut

creamy Lyonnaise cheese

Servi en entrée dans le menu Lyonnais du restaurant "A la Traboule" (3 Place du Gouvernement, 69005 Lyon) dans le Vieux Lyon.

Also known as claqueret or tomme daubée, this is the son of sarasson. Now mostly made with fromage frais or fresh goat’s cheese, it is whipped up with salt and pepper, shallots, fresh herbs, and vinegar, and sometimes with cream or crème fraîche. It is served with potatoes or toast or with a salad.

The name means ‘silkmaker’s brain’. Canuts were the poor silkworkers in Lyon, who had this dish for lunch (or for mâchon) because they couldn’t afford lamb’s brains.

Auvergne Rhône Alpes

Cheese and dairy

Text © Dana Facaros

Image by Jean-Marc ALBERT