Le coussin de Lyon
Bright green, packed in the boxes of the same colour, they stand proudly in the windows of every Voisin shop all over Lyon. Called Le coussin de Lyon, they, the same as praline brioche and Lyonnaise salad, represent the capital of gastronomy. Lyon. But what is this sweet creation typical only to Lyon, telling the story of something dreadful?
Invented in 1960, together with the soyeux (silk manufacturers of Lyon), this candy, shaped like a small, soft pillow, is a dedication to the dreadful time back in 1643 when the city of Lyon was hit by a dreadful epidemic disease that no one knew how to fight against. One day in the same year, a procession of aldermen took place to Fourvière Hill to implore the Virgin Mary to save the city and they carried a seven-pound wax candle and a golden crown on a silk cushion.
The cushion that has been recreated in this very elegantly looking candy is filled with extra creamy chocolate ganache with a touch of curaçao and covered with a thin layer of almond paste. A candy like no other.