Samgyeopsal: Difference between revisions

Directly translated from Korean, ''samgyeop-sal'' ({{lang|ko|삼겹살}}) means "three layer flesh," referring to striations of lean meat and fat in the [[pork belly]] that appear as three layers when cut.<ref name="Sula">{{Cite news|url=https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/korean-barbecue-pro-samgyubsal-pork-belly-northbrook-samgyeopsal/Content?oid=24085840|title=Delight in the belly of the beast at Pro Samgyubsal|last=Sula|first=Mike|date=26 October 2016|work=[[Chicago Reader]]|accessdateaccess-date=15 February 2018}}</ref><ref name="Gold">{{Cite news|url=http://www.laweekly.com/restaurants/jonathan-gold-reviews-palsaik-samgyeopsal-2171496|title=Jonathan Gold Reviews Palsaik Samgyeopsal|last=Gold|first=Jonathan|date=28 July 2011|work=[[LA Weekly]]|accessdateaccess-date=16 February 2018}}</ref> In Korea, the word ''samgyeop-sal,'' meaning "pork belly", often refers to ''samgyeop-sal-gui'' (grilled pork belly), in the same way that the word ''[[galbi]],'' meaning "ribs", often refers to ''galbi-gui'' (grilled beef ribs). ''[[Gui (food)|Gui]]'' refers to roasted, baked, or grilled dishes.

Thick, fatty slices of [[pork belly]],<ref name="Whitten">{{Cite news|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/02/things-to-do-seoul-south-korea-music-sports-food.html|title=Tour Guide: Seoul, South Korea|last=Whitten|first=Richard|date=8 February 2017|work=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]|accessdateaccess-date=16 February 2018}}</ref> sometimes with the skin left on and sometimes scored on the diagonal,<ref name="Sula" /> are grilled on a slanted metal griddle or a gridiron at the diners' table, inset with charcoal grills or convex gas burners.<ref name="Gold" /><ref name="Chandler">{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/smart-mouth-a-marathon-of-seoul-food-just-the-way-koreans-do-it/2011/03/22/AFDoEcFF_story.html|title=Smart Mouth: A marathon of Seoul food, just the way Koreans do it|last=Chandler|first=Michael Alison|date=29 April 2011|work=[[The Washington Post]]|accessdateaccess-date=16 February 2018}}</ref> Usually, diners grill the meat themselves, flipping and cutting them with tongs and scissors, and eat directly from the grill.<ref name="Sula" /><ref name="Gold" /><ref name="Whitten" />

The meat is usually neither marinated nor seasoned, although marinated samgyeopsal in flavors such as ginseng, wine, garlic, herbs, curry, doenjang, and gochujang has gained popularity since the late 2000s.<ref name="Gold" /><ref name="Tan">{{Cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/food/eating-out/2014/04/05/the-new-colour-thing-korean-rainbow-pork/|title=The new colour thing: Korean rainbow pork|last=Tan|first=Karen-Michaela|work=[[The Star (Malaysia)|The Star]]|accessdateaccess-date=2 September 2016}}</ref> Slices of garlic, onions, green chili peppers, mushrooms, and kimchi are often grilled alongside using the fat trickling from the pork belly.<ref name="Sula" /><ref name="Gold" /><ref name="Chandler" />

Common accompaniments for ''samgyeopsal'' include ''[[ssam]]'' vegetables such as [[lettuce]], ''[[kkaennip]]'' (perilla leaves), ''ssammu'' (pickled [[Korean radish|radish]] paper) and [[Dipping sauce|dipping sauces]] such as ''[[ssamjang]]'' (made with seasoned mixture of [[Gochujang|chili paste]] and [[Doenjang|soy bean paste]]) and ''gireum-jang'' (made with [[sesame oil]], salt, and black pepper), ''[[jangajji]]'' (soy sauce-pickled vegetables) such as ''[[Allium ochotense|myeongi]]-jangajji'' (pickled Siberian onion leaves) or ''yangpa-jangajji'' (pickled onions), [[kimchi]], as well as sliced [[garlic]], [[Onion|onions]], and seasoned shredded [[scallion|scallions]].<ref name="Sula" /><ref name="Gold" /><ref name="Kim">{{Cite news|url=https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/best-korean-dishes/index.html|title=Best Korean dishes: 40 foods we can't live without|last=Kim|first=Violet|date=13 July 2017|work=[[CNN Travel]]|accessdateaccess-date=15 February 2018}}</ref> Garlic, onions, and kimchi can be either grilled with the meat or consumed raw with the cooked meat. [[Mushrooms]], such as [[button mushrooms]] or [[oyster mushrooms]], are also grilled with the meat.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/lifestyle/2018/03/07/somacs-samgyeopsal-and-more-592290|title=Somac's samgyeopsal and more|last=Catan|first=Patricia May P.|date=2018-03-06|work=SunStar|access-date=2018-03-30|language=en}}</ref>

Samgyeopsal is often accompanied by, or accompanying (as ''[[Anju (food)|anju]]'') shots of [[soju]].<ref name="Gold" /><ref name="Whitten" /><ref name="Chandler" /><ref name="Kim" /><ref name="Cumming">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/ng-interactive/2017/feb/19/the-5th-annual-ofm-50-what-we-love-about-food-in-2017|title=The 5th annual OFM 50: What we love about food in 2017|last1=Cumming|first1=Ed|work=[[The Guardian]]|accessdateaccess-date=16 February 2018|last2=Fox|first2=Killian|last3=Grundy|first3=Gareth|last4=Hayward|first4=Tim|last5=Tait-Hyland|first5=Molly|last6=Jenkins|first6=Allan|last7=O'Neill|first7=Holly|last8=Madigan|first8=Andrew|last9=Williams|first9=David|last10=Granleese|first10=Bob|last11=Allen|first11=Lisette|last12=Missing|first12=Sophie|last13=Rayner|first13=Jay|last14=Fowler|first14=Alys|last15=Barton|first15=Laura}}</ref> ''[[Somaek]]'', a simple cocktail made by dumping a shot of soju into a glass of beer, is also a popular beverage consumed with ''samgyeopasal''.<ref name="Whitten" />

In [[South Korea]], the third day of March is "Samgyeopsal Day", due to samgyeopsal's three-layered composition.<ref name="Kim2">{{Cite news|url=http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_business/680562.html|title=Consumption of tasty pork belly bulge on its special day|last1=Kim|first1=Jeong-pil|date=3 March 2015|work=[[The Hankyoreh]]|accessdateaccess-date=16 February 2018|last2=Kim|first2=Hyo-jin}}</ref>