If you like sampling different sausages when you travel, then you need to try lukanka, a type of salami unique to Bulgarian cuisine. Similar to sujuk but stronger in flavor, it refers to a flattened cured sausage made with a mixture of pork and veal seasoned with cumin, salt, and black pepper.

To make lukanka, the seasoned meat mixture is stuffed into a dried cows intestine and then hung to dry for about 40-50 days. As it dries, the sausage is pressed to give it its characteristic flat form. When ready, the sausage is sliced thinly and served cold, usually as an appetizer.

The most famous cured meat product in Bulgaria is known as lukanka, a traditional, aromatic sausage made with a mixture of minced pork and veal. The sausage is usually heavily spiced with salt, black pepper, hot and sweet peppers, cumin, nutmeg, and coriander.

The choice and amount of added spices is highly variable and usually depends on the region. The casing for lukanka is usually made from cows or pigs intestines, and once completed, it is usually pressed on both sides to develop its traditional, flat shape.

Subsequently, it is hung in a dry and ventilated area, where it is dried for at least one month. If it is not completely dried, the sausage can be grilled or fried, while the dried version is usually sliced and served as a cold starter. Lukanka is consumed throughout the country, but the two most prominent varieties are known as Karlovska lukanka and lukanka panagyurska.