Why is this fish everywhere in Nyon?

This fish which is on flags and signs all around Nyon is a symbol of the town. Most folk think it is a perch but it is called a “poisson d’argent” which translates as a “silver fish”. A fish was chosen for the flag as orginally Nyon was a small town of fisherman on the lake. The anecdote goes that (the flag) with the fish on the red and blue background , symbolises the fish going from blue of the lake to the red heat of the cooking pot!

However, perch is one of the local specialities here and it is caught in lake in the summer. Served in fillets with chips (french fries) and lemon butter sauce and salad, it’s delicious. There are some small fishermens’ huts along the lake side where you can buy freshly caught fish by the kilo.