Lukanka

If you're searching for a quick snack or appetiser in Bulgaria, grab a roll or slice some Lukanka. Lukanka, a classic salami, is a Bulgarian version of the Italian soppressata. Lukanka is delicious as a snack, with vegetables, or over drinks with cheese. Salami is a mixture of beef and fat that is cured with spices and herbs before being cased and dried. Every region in Bulgaria has its own unique style of creating Lukanka, and some even patent their local Lukanka at the Bulgarian patent office!

Ingredients:

• veal - 9 lb (4 kg)
• pork - 9 lb (4 kg)
• salt - 3/4 cup
• black pepper - 1 1/3 tbsp (20 g)
• cumin - 1 tsp (6 g)
• carbonated water - 2 cups (500 ml) (2 bottles of 1 cup (250 ml) each)
• intestines - beef, dried

Instruction:

1. Clean the meat off bones, wash, dry it, cut it into pieces, then grind twice through a meat grinder.
2. Mix well with the spices, while gradually adding 1 bottle of carbonated water. Leave the mixture in the fridge for 24 hours.
3. Knead it again, pour in the 2nd bottle of carbonated water as well. Leave in the fridge for 24 hours again.
4. On the 3rd day, after kneading everything again, fill the intestines with the mixture, while poking holes carefully every now and then to get the air out.
5. Keep the lukanka in a cool area for 3 days, then roll it out with a rolling pin every day for 5 days. Leave it for 15 days with a weight pressed on top, then hang it up to dry for 30 days in a ventilated area.