The Pot Lyonnais

I love simple objects with fascinating stories. Such objects can be right under our noses without our being aware of their long histories: A great example is the "pot" of Lyon (pot Lyonnais), officially holding 460 ml of liquid with a 1.5-inch-thick base. It is used to serve wine in Lyon's traditional bouchons (bistros). In the Middle Ages, 2-liter bottles were filled with wine from barrels, and by the 17th century, the bottles diminished to half that size (1 liter). The Lyon "pot" appeared in the 19th century when the Lyon silk workers were entitled to 500 ml (1/2 liter) of wine provided by their bosses. To exploit the workers more, the bottle's size was reduced from 500 ml to 460 ml, allowing the bosses to fill 2 pots with just 1 liter of wine while keeping a glass for themselves.