Tablier de sapeur is a culinary speciality from the city of Lyon. It consists of a piece of veal meat, usually from the gras-double (the part of the animal’s stomach), which is breaded and fried.
It is said that Marshal de Castellane, the governor of Lyon who put down the Canuts revolts of 1831 and 1834, once visited an inn and compared the breaded tripe to the leather aprons worn by the firemen of the time.
So the name stuck, and the tablier de sapeur became a local speciality loved by lovers of Lyonnais cuisine, and of course features on the menu of the Café des Fédérations.
It is often served with gribiche sauce, a sauce made from egg yolk, mustard, vinegar, oil and herbs.
