Samgyeopsal

Samgyeopsal (삼겹살; Korean pronunciation: [sʰamɡjʌps͈al]) is a popular Korean dish that is commonly served as an evening meal. It consists of thick, fatty slices of pork belly meat. The meat, usually neither marinated nor seasoned, is cooked on a grill at the diners’ table. Usually diners grill the meat themselves and eat directly from a grill. It is typically served with ssamjang (Korean: 쌈장), vegetables, and lettuce leaves to wrap it in.

Name

The literal meaning of the word is “three (sam; Korean: 삼（三）) layered (gyeop; Korean: 겹) flesh (sal;Korean: 살)”, referring to what appears to be three layers that are visible in the meat. One can also find ogyeopsal (Korean: 오겹살), with o meaning “five”.

Imports

Pork has increased in Trade and has opened a free trade agreement. China: Prefer pork offal,thus the increasing of frozen pork. Japan: Prefer loin and Boston butt. South Korea: Prefer fatty pork belly,which is Samgyeopsal.

Popularity in Korea

According to a 2006 survey by Agricultural Cooperatives in Korea (Korean: 농업협동조합), 85% of South Korean adults surveyed stated their favorite pork is samgyeopsal. The survey also showed 70% of recipients eat the meat at least once a week. The high popularity of samgyeopsal makes it one of the most expensive parts of pork. South Korea imports wholesale samgyeopsal from Belgium, the Netherlands, and other countries for the purpose of price stabilization as imported pork is much cheaper than domestic.