There was a glut of grandes horizontales named Anna during the Second Empire. There are then several claimants to the honour of having the dish named after them. The favourite is Anna Deslions, la Lionne des Boulevards. She was one of the era’s most loved and most notorious courtesans. She was among Zola’s models for Nana. Her preferred haunt was le Café Anglais on the boulevard des Italiens, as much an exclusive mai
