Loukaniko

Loukaniko Lemonato

Lukániko (Greek: λουκάνικο) is the common Greek word for pork sausage, but in English it refers specifically to 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 flavoured with greens, especially leeks.

Lukaniko 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 'lukaniko' is derived from ancient Roman cuisine's lucanica (from Lucania regiono of South Italy) and has been used in Greek since at least the 4th century.

See also

• Lucanica or luganega, an Italian sausage with a related name
• Lukanka, a Bulgarian sausage with a related name
• Longaniza, any of a variety of sausages from Spain, Latin America, and the Philippines with a related name
• Soujouk, a spicy, dry, lean sausage found in former Ottoman countries
• List of smoked foods