Salade Lyonnaise is often translated as ‘bacon and egg salad’ and I can’t stand it. Not because it’s inaccurate – beyond the salad leaves and the dressing, the only other non-negotiable elements of the dish are, indeed, bacon and eggs. But it feels like it misses the point. To the English ear, bacon and egg salad sounds like a lacklustre version of a full English – two items chucked into a bowl of leaves because we’re trying to cut carbs. It also – and I am aware this is just me – makes me picture the egg scrambled, and the thought of scrambled egg in a salad is horrible. ‘Bacon and egg salad’ doesn’t do the elegant, balanced and punchy salade Lyonnaise justice.

The salad comes from Lyon of course, a city renowned for its excellent food, often called the gastronomic capital of France. It is filled with bouchons, rustic bistros that serve traditional Lyonnaise fare and have fed the local and travelling silkworkers since the 17th century. These were often run by les mères Lyonnaises, a group of female chefs who began opening their own restaurants in the 19th and 20th centuries, and shaped the food of the region. The dishes tend to be simple and hearty and use local ingredients, including cured pork. Today, this salad is found all over France, and is emblematic of straightforward French cookery, relying on the good treatment of good ingredients.

Frisée lettuce with lardons, a poached egg, croutons and a mustard vinaigrette

Frisée lettuce with lardons, a poached egg,........

© The Spectator