Lukanka is semi-dried, has a flattened cylindrical shape, and brownish-red interior in a skin that is normally covered with a white fungus.

Traditionally, lukanka salami is made of pork, veal, and spices (black pepper, cumin, salt), minced together and stuffed into a length of dried cow's intestine as a casing.

The taste qualities of lukanka depend on natural characteristics of the region it is produced in, and are formed under the influence of the typical microflora of the local geographic environment.

Most of these are located in central Bulgaria, at the foot of the Balkan mountain range, notably the Smyadovo, Panagyurishte, and Karlovo regions.

The "Lukanka panagyurska" of Panagyurishte has obtained an EU and UK-wide Traditional specialities guaranteed (TSG) denomination.