What tripe!

Does tripe make you squeamish? Then feel free to stop reading this now. Go noodle around on eBay or something. Foodies know that the internal organs of bovine and porcine animals--liver, kidneys, stomach, intestines--have long been a part of the human diet. Sadly, we 'Merkins would rather relegate all that good stuff to cat food.

Not here in Lyon. Take Tablier de Sapeur, a superb dish (literally "Fireman's Apron") made with what's known as fraise. Not sweet strawberries but chewy tripe, the lining of beef and veal stomach and intestines. Pounded flat, coarsely breaded and sautéed, garnished with lemon and accompanied by a a sauce gribiche of chopped capers and cornichons, it's the centerpiece of that unique Lyon institution, the bouchon.

In fact, there are always 8 or 9 main courses on the menu here at the Café des Fédérations, the city's most celebrated bouchon, and there are always a few "safe" choices for reluctant tourists (a fluffy quenelle of pike, chicken in a vinegar reduction, pork stew). It's a tiny, convivial spot, with red-check tablecloths, local Beaujolais served in heavy-bottomed pots, 46-centiliter decanters, and a seemingly endless array of appetizers: sausages, salad, duck-liver pâté, poached egg in a red wine sauce, and so on. Cheese follows, then dessert. Nothing like it.

Back to the Fireman's Apron for a second: Seattle readers will find that it resembles, in appearance, preparation and texture, the no-less-exotic Puget Sound geoduck. Surely you're not going to feed that to the cat, are you?

Café des Federations, 8 rue Major Martin, Lyon, +334 7828 2600

Posted by Ronald Holden at July 3, 2006 2:32 AM