Also Claqueret, Claqueret lyonnais, Silk weaver's brains
Fresh white cheese beaten with shallots, garlic, chives and parsley, a little oil and vinegar, eaten on bread.
What makes it cervelle de canut
Fromage blanc, beaten smooth.
Shallot, garlic and plenty of chopped herbs.
A little vinegar and oil to sharpen and loosen.
Where it comes from
The name means silk weaver's brains. The canuts were the silk workers of Lyon's Croix-Rousse hill, and the joke is usually explained as a jab at them — this was the poor man's brain dish, or a comment on how the bosses saw their workers. Nobody's quite sure.
It turns up in the bouchons as part of a cheese course or with bread before the meal, and it's as good with boiled potatoes.