Want to combine a nature stay, a wood fire, and local gastronomy? Buy a Lyon culinary specialty, take it with you to the campsite, and give your meals in the great outdoors a 100% local touch. We’ll guide you to savor all the Lyon culinary specialties while enjoying your open-air vacation.
What are the Lyon culinary specialties you absolutely need to know?
It is no coincidence that the City of Lights is often considered the capital of French gastronomy. Here we present the most emblematic Lyon culinary specialties, where to buy the best products, and how to enjoy some of them even while in campsite.
Quenelles: a flavorful Lyon culinary specialty
How could one speak of a Lyon culinary specialty without mentioning the emblematic quenelles? Made with semolina or flour, mixed with pike or poultry meat, they are traditionally served covered with a Nantua sauce or tomato sauce.
Lyon sausage, the star of Lyon culinary specialties
This sausage, to be cooked in a pan (or sliced as an appetizer!), often enriched with pistachios, is an essential Lyon specialty. It perfectly embodies the generous spirit that characterizes Lyon culinary specialties.
Praline tart: the typical dessert of Lyon cuisine
Colorful, sweet, and crunchy, this Lyon culinary specialty is made with pink pralines and shortcrust pastry. Very popular in the city’s pastry shops, it is ideal to take away. It keeps well and offers a delicious dessert with no effort.
Cervelle de Canut
Do not be misled by its curious and not very appetizing name, as it is in fact a much-loved specialty. Made with whipped fromage blanc, garlic, shallots, fresh herbs, and vinegar, it is enjoyed chilled and spread on bread. In campsite, it will be perfect as a dip for an aperitif or in a sandwich.
Tablier de sapeur, an original Lyon specialty
This dish, little known outside the region, is typically Lyonnais. It consists of beef tripe marinated in white wine, breaded, and fried. It reflects the link between Lyon cuisine and forgotten cuts of meat, carefully reimagined.
Ideas for simple recipes to enjoy Lyon specialties in campsite
Because you don’t necessarily need an oven or a fully equipped kitchen to enjoy Lyon gastronomy in the great outdoors… Here are several revisited recipes that require nothing more than a campfire or a simple stove (and on the subject, we also recommend this article explaining how to cook during a camping stay).
Quenelles in foil on the campfire
A quick and rustic version of the best-known Lyon culinary specialty!
For this, you will only need vacuum-packed plain quenelles, tomato sauce, and grated cheese.
Place the quenelles on a large sheet of aluminum foil, cover them with sauce, and sprinkle with cheese. Seal tightly and let cook for 10 to 15 minutes over hot embers. The result is not as puffed as in the oven, but the flavors are there.
Campsite-style Lyonnaise salad
A complete, fresh, and quick dish to make (and a typically Lyon culinary specialty!).
For this, take a nice bunch of lettuce, hard-boiled eggs, lardons, croutons, and mustard vinaigrette.
Fry the lardons in a pan. Cut the hard-boiled eggs, mix everything with the lettuce, and add the croutons for crunchiness. Perfect for a light and tasty lunch! And for even more indulgence, feel free to add a few slices of Lyon sausage… it will only make it better.
Making your own cervelle de Canut for the aperitif
Want to prepare your own version of one of the best-known Lyon culinary specialties?
Make your homemade cervelle de Canut very simply. All you will need is fromage blanc, shallot, garlic, chives, vinegar, and olive oil.
Mix all the ingredients before leaving (or directly at the campsite, if you can keep them cool). Then serve on slices of country bread (grilled over the campfire, it will be even better!). A refreshing aperitif, full of flavor, and 100% Lyon.
Where to buy the best Lyon culinary specialties?
To eat well and cook well in campsite, you must first buy the right products. Here is where to get the real Lyon culinary specialties.
Les Halles Paul Bocuse
This is the ultimate temple of Lyon culinary specialties. An emblematic place in the 3rd arrondissement, it brings together the best artisans and merchants of the region. Open all week except Monday, this covered market offers everything you need to put together a gourmet campsite basket. Artisan quenelles, rosette de Lyon, cervelle de Canut, regional cheeses, Rhône wines, praline tartlet, …
We recommend opting for vacuum-packed products, and do not hesitate to ask the merchants for advice on which products keep best in the great outdoors.
Open-air producers’ markets
Lyon has no shortage of open-air markets! There you can find authentic Lyon specialties, at affordable prices.
The Saint-Antoine Market
Located on the banks of the Saône, and undoubtedly the most famous in the city, this market offers a high-quality selection of charcuterie, fruits, vegetables, cheeses, and other local specialties.
The Croix-Rousse Market
The Croix-Rousse Market is renowned for its friendly “village” atmosphere and its roots in the Canuts district. You will find many small local producers there, often organic, as well as other lesser-known (but just as delicious) specialties.
Our advice: come in the morning between 7:00 and 9:30 if you want to avoid the crowds and get the best products.
From local producers around Lyon
If you want a more authentic experience (or if you are a fan of ecotourism), you could also buy your Lyon culinary specialties directly from producers on the outskirts of the city. The region is full of farms, pastry workshops, and artisanal curing houses offering direct sales.
If you are looking for charcuterie or sausages, you will find many producers in the Monts du Lyonnais, such as Maison Chillet or Maison Duculty.
If you wish to buy artisanal cheeses, you will find many addresses in the Monts d’Or, such as the Fromagerie Benoît Chapert or the Fromagerie Rochas.
For pralines or other sweets, we recommend heading to the Ferme de Lusignat in Ain, or to Maison Pralus (which has many shops in Lyon and in Roanne).
Need more ideas on where to buy your Lyon specialties? Check out our page on markets & shopping around Camping des Barolles.