Loukaniko
Encyclopedia
Loukániko is the common Greek word for pork
sausage
, but in English it refers to the specifically Greek sausages flavored with orange
peel, fennel
seed, and various other dried herbs and seeds, and sometimes smoked over aromatic woods. Greek sausages are also often flavored with greens, especially leek
s.
Loukaniko is often served as a mezze, sliced and fried, sometimes with saganaki
. It is also cooked into a variety of dishes.
Pigs were the principal meat-yielding animals in traditional Greek farm economy, as they were easy to feed with scraps and leftovers, and sausage was an important way of preserving their meat.
The name 'loukaniko' comes from ancient Roman cuisine's lucanica
and has been used in Greek since at least the 4th century.
Pork
Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....
sausage
Sausage
A sausage is a food usually made from ground meat , mixed with salt, herbs, and other spices, although vegetarian sausages are available. The word sausage is derived from Old French saussiche, from the Latin word salsus, meaning salted.Typically, a sausage is formed in a casing traditionally made...
, but in English it refers to the specifically Greek sausages flavored with orange
Orange (fruit)
An orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus × sinensis and its fruit. It is the most commonly grown tree fruit in the world....
peel, fennel
Fennel
Fennel is a plant species in the genus Foeniculum . It is a member of the family Apiaceae . It is a hardy, perennial, umbelliferous herb, with yellow flowers and feathery leaves...
seed, and various other dried herbs and seeds, and sometimes smoked over aromatic woods. Greek sausages are also often flavored with greens, especially leek
Leek
The leek, Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum , also sometimes known as Allium porrum, is a vegetable which belongs, along with the onion and garlic, to family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Allioideae...
s.
Loukaniko is often served as a mezze, sliced and fried, sometimes with saganaki
Saganaki
Saganaki refers to various dishes prepared in Greek cuisine and is named after the single-serving frying pan in which it is cooked....
. It is also cooked into a variety of dishes.
Pigs were the principal meat-yielding animals in traditional Greek farm economy, as they were easy to feed with scraps and leftovers, and sausage was an important way of preserving their meat.
The name 'loukaniko' comes from ancient Roman cuisine's lucanica
Lucanica
Lucanica was a short, fat, rustic pork sausage in Ancient Roman cuisine.Apicius documents it as a spicy, smoked beef or pork sausage originally from Lucania; according to Cicero and Martial, it was brought by Roman troops or slaves from Lucania....
and has been used in Greek since at least the 4th century.
See also
- Luganega or lucanica, an Italian sausage with a related name
- LukankaLukankaLukanka is a Bulgarian spicy salami unique to Bulgarian cuisine. It is similar to sujuk, but often stronger flavored. Lukanka is semi-dried, has a flattened cylindrical shape, and brownish-red interior in a skin that is normally covered with a white fungus...
, a Bulgarian sausage with a related name - SoujoukSoujoukSujuk, also soudjouk is a dry, spicy sausage in Turkish cuisine eaten from the Balkans to the Middle East and Central Asia.Sujuk consists of ground meat , with various spices including cumin, sumac, garlic, salt, and red pepper, fed into a sausage casing and allowed to...
, a spicy, dry, lean sausage found in former Ottoman countries