Samgyeopsal gui[Grilled Pork Belly]

Samgyeopsal, meaning ‘three layered meat,’ is the Korean name for pork belly. The pork belly is Koreans’ favorite cut of pork. Some even say that Koreans consume all the pork belly in the world. Naturally, pork belly is the priciest pork cut in Korea. Koreans’ Insatiable Appetite for Pork Belly The pork belly consumption in Korea exceeds imagination. According to statistics, the average Korean eats a serving of Samgyeopsal-gui (grilled pork belly) once every four days. Koreans take their pork belly seriously: there is a ‘Samsam Day (March 3rd),’ designated for eating pork belly, and there is a spike in pork belly sales during the spring yellow dust season owing to the popular belief that pork belly will melt away the dust accumulated in the throat. The disproportional popularity of pork belly results in sluggish sales of other pork parts, and triggers campaigns promoting pork fillet, loin, shank, shoulder, and hock. ‘Mok-samgyeop’ and ‘Ogyeopsal’ are recently coined terms reflecting the popularity of pork belly. Mok-samgyeop (three-layered pork neck) was made to promote the cheaper neck/shoulder cut by associating it with Samgyeopsal, whereas Ogyeopsal (five layered pork) is actually Samgyeopsal with the skin attached. When Did Koreans Begin to Eat Pork Belly? Once the most unpopular and fatty cut of pork, pork belly was transformed into the tastiest cut by Gaeseong merchants who are traditionally known for their commercial flair. Raising western pig breeds, they discovered how to obtain the ideal pork belly. Pigs are omnivorous and can be fed on leftover food. People in Jeju Island even raised them in outhouses, raising them on human waste. As Gaeseong merchants alternated fiber-rich millet with condensed feed, they found the combination to produce the perfect pork belly with streaky layers of fat and meat. The savory blend of fat and meat captured the palate of Koreans, sending the price and popularity of Samgyeopsal soaring. Samgyeopsal-gui and Changing Trends The early 1990s saw the rising popularity of pork belly slices grilled on iron pot lids. Shortly after, there was the Daepae samgyeopsal-gui (shaved pork belly), which made it even cheaper than most restaurant meals. In the late 1990s, Misutgaru samgyeopsal-gui (pork belly with a three grain powder) was the rage, and since 2000, it became fashionable to marinate pork belly in red wine or sprinkle it with green tea powder to reduce the greasy taste.

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