Do you know the region of Bojolais?
“It is situated to the west of main road ¹6, that leads from Lyons to Paris;
In the vicinity of Macon, on an area of around 45km.;
Together with Burgundy, Bordole, Anju and others, the region shares the honour
To produce the most famous French wines, that brought fame to Bojolais.”
This is how Gabriel Chauvaliet describes the region in legendary novel
"Clochemerle". He makes it clear, at the very beginning, that the region became
famous, mainly for its wines.
Wine means good companions and good food….and still in 1934, Chauvaliet
Praises Adele Torbeillon and the excellent qualities only of her wines.
Some time later, in 1936, in his "Almanac" of Bojolais, Leon Daudet speaks in
praise of the region's cuisine, but pays attention mostly to its wine and its
relation with the Lyons cuisine.
What exactly are the characteristics of the Bojolais wine?
To give an answer to that question we have to differentiate (in today's cuisine
and the old recipes) the traditional contribution of the region to the way of preparing
the dishes, as well as to the products themselves.
The task becomes even harder because of the fact that many annalists are tempted to mix the
Bojolais cuisine with the Lyons cuisine, due to the identity of some products.
Nowadays cooks prepare dishes from the national cuisine, which is made better, of course,
but is on the same basis and uses the same products as before.
This way of cooking creates reputation, gives credit to France and is a
kinds of national heritage. Nevertheless, some products preserve a certain identity
and characterize the region that they come from.