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Rhône-Alpes
‘In 1643, the aldermen of Lyon carried a green silk cushion during a vow to the Virgin of Fourvière to save the city from the plague. Three centuries later, the chocolatier Voisin paid tribute to this gesture by creating a cushion-shaped confection — green like the silk of the vow.’
Confectionery from Rhône-Alpes.
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To understand the Coussin de Lyon, one must go back to the summer of 1643. The plague struck the city. In despair, the provost of merchants Alexandre de Mascrany and his four aldermen took a solemn vow to the Virgin of Fourvière: if she spared Lyon, they would organise a procession to the basilica every year on 8 September, carrying a 3.2-kilo wax candle and a gold écu placed on a green silk cushion. The Virgin answered their prayer: the epidemic ceased to strike the city, while continuing to rage in the surrounding area. The vow was kept, and the procession has been renewed every year on 8 September — a tradition that remains very much alive today, fostering in Lyon a fertile ground of Marian devotion from which would emerge, two centuries later, the Fête des Lumières on 8 December (at the origin of which lies an entirely different episode: the delayed inauguration of a statue of the Virgin on the bell tower of Fourvière, in December 1852).
This green silk cushion, a symbol of Lyonnais faith and gratitude, first inspired the silk manufacturers of Croix-Rousse to create a green velvet presentation box echoing its shape. The chocolatier Voisin, established in Lyon since 1897, in turn adopted this shape to create, in 1960, a confection emblematic of the city. The Boucaud family, who run the business, have held the monopoly on the manufacture and marketing of this distinctive cushion ever since — the recipe, which is patented, is reproduced by no other house.
Today, the Coussin de Lyon is presented as being listed in the Patrimoine National de la Confiserie.
Appearance
A domed rectangle of pale green marzipan — the colour directly evoking the silk cushion of the 1643 vow — crossed through its centre by a dark green stripe and flecked with candied sugar on the surface. Inside: a smooth chocolate ganache flavoured with curaçao liqueur, enveloped by this thin layer of marzipan.
Aroma
Citrus notes reminiscent of orange, imparted by the curaçao — a liqueur made from the dried peel of the West Indian laraha fruit.
Taste
The curaçao ganache brings a subtly alcoholic citrus note that contrasts with the sweetness of the almond. It is a complex confection for its small size, combining several textures and flavours in a single mouthful.
Texture
The marzipan has a supple, melt-in-the-mouth texture, contrasting with the creaminess of the ganache it envelops.
The marzipan is prepared from crushed almonds and sugar, coloured with natural green, then flecked with candied sugar on the surface. The ganache is made from chocolate, cream and curaçao liqueur. Each cushion is assembled by hand: the marzipan is rolled flat, the ganache placed in its centre, then the paste is folded over and shaped into a cushion — it is this marzipan casing, and not a chocolate coating, that gives the cushion its characteristic green coat.
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The Coussin de Lyon is enjoyed at room temperature, in a single bite. The Guide des vins et des vignes de France recommends pairing it with regional sweet wines — a Rasteau tuilé rancio or a Rasteau ambré —, though a coffee or scented tea accompanies it just as well. In Voisin gift boxes, it has become one of the gourmet emblems to bring back from Lyon.
The Coussin de Lyon is not protected by any PDO (AOP) or PGI (IGP): it is a patented recipe and a shape protected by the registered trademark of Maison Voisin, which alone is authorised to manufacture and market it.
Historic house
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Chocolaterie Voisin presents itself as the largest family-owned chocolate maker in France. It was founded in Lyon in 1897 by Léon Voisin, described as an 'entrepreneur and adventurer' who travelled the world in search of the finest cocoa, teas, coffees and spices, which he sold in his first shop on cours de la Liberté. In 1915, twenty-five master chocolatiers and roasters were brought together within 'la Fabrique de chocolats' on rue de Bonnel.
In 1960, the house created the Coussin de Lyon — a chocolate coated in curaçao-flavoured marzipan, an original recipe of the chocolate house — listed that same year in the national heritage inventory of France's specialities. Voisin claims several accolades: a gold medal at the Brussels World's Fair in 1958, the title of commandeur of the Confrérie des Chocolatiers de France in 1983, a third ruban bleu at the Paris chocolate salon in 1990, and the Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant label in 2014.
The house states that it is still driven by 'the 3rd and 4th generations of Voisin directors'. It also describes itself as the largest independent family-owned chocolate maker in the Rhône-Alpes region. In 2013, its CEO, Paul Boucaud, received the Médaille de la Ville de Lyon from Mayor Gérard Collomb. Established since 1980 in the Vaise district, the chocolate maker prides itself on traditional artisanal craftsmanship — secret recipes, praline worked in copper cauldrons then on granite millstones — in its workshop in Lyon's 9th arrondissement. It has since expanded beyond the Lyon region, opening a Parisian shop on boulevard Haussmann in 2016 and entering into a partnership with the Japanese department store Isetan in 2015.
| Address | 28 Rue de la République, 69002 Lyon, France |
| +33 (0)4 78 37 79 41 | |
| accueil@chocolat-voisin.com | |
| chocolats-voisin.fr | |
| Facebook page | |
| @chocolatsvoisin | |
| Visits | Yes — 28 shops in Lyon and the Rhône-Alpes region |
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Part of the production is certified organic, since 2020. |