Samgyeopsal

Samgyeopsal(Korean:삼겹살;lit.'three-layer meat'),samgyeopsal-gui(삼겹살구이lit.'grilled three-layer meat'), orgrilled pork bellyis a type ofgui(grilled dish) inKorean cuisine.
Directly translated from Korean,samgyeop-sal(삼겹살) means "three layer flesh", referring to striations of lean meat and fat in thepork bellythat appear as three layers when cut.
It is the part of the abdomen under the loin from the 5th rib or 6th rib to the hind limb.In Korea, the wordsamgyeop-sal,meaning "pork belly", often refers tosamgyeop-sal-gui(grilled pork belly), in the same way that the wordgalbi,meaning "ribs", often refers togalbi-gui(grilled beef ribs).Guirefers to roasted, baked, or grilled dishes.
One can also findogyeopsal(오겹살), with anomeaning "five" and "gyeop" meaning a layer.Ogyeop-salincludes the skin part of the pork belly, unlikesamgyeop-salwhere the skin is removed.
The first mention of the meat dish was in aDonga-ilboarticle published on November 3, 1984, titled "How to Distinguish Between Good and Bad Meat", where the dish is called "segyeopsal (세겹살)" instead of samgyeopsal.The word samgyeopsal only became an entry for theStandard Korean Language Dictionaryafter 1994.
Until the 1980s, the main type of meat the Koreans preferred was beef, but pork and chicken meat were encouraged at a national policy level as a good alternative as most of the cattle were used for agriculture and thus beef supplies were deficient.In response to government policies,chaebols, especiallySamsung, started to run pork farms.Samsung later shut down the farms due to backlash from farmers worried that Samsung was attempting real estatespeculation.
During the late 1980s to the 1990s, the dish became a popular menu item along withJokbalandsundae, as Samsung andLotteentered the meat processing industry.The use of pork in traditional Korean cuisine such asBossamorjeyuk-bokkeumfocused on methods of hiding its smell with strong seasoning using spices such as ginger, garlic, and leek. After the smell problem was solved by scientific methods such as castration of pigs at the production level, the popularization of samgyeopsal became possible.In 1996, "daepae samgyeopsal", a samgyeopsal that is named because it is thinly cut like it was cut by aPlane(a tool to cut wood, called "daepae" in Korean), was  invented.TheHoesikculture after the 1998 financial crisis also popularized the dish as part of the South Korean office cuisine.During the 2000s, beoljip samgyeopsal, which was named as such because the way the meat is cut resembled a beehive (beoljip in Korean) appeared.From 2005, theJeju islandculture of providing bigger portions of meat ingeun(a traditional Korean unit that is equivalent to 600g) instead of 100 grams, and the popularization ofJeju Black pigmeat influenced the samgyeopsal culture.
Thick, fatty slices ofpork belly,sometimes with the skin left on and sometimes scored on the diagonal,are grilled on a slanted metal griddle or a gridiron at the diners' table, inset with charcoal grills or convex gas burners.Usually, diners grill the meat themselves, flipping and cutting them with tongs and scissors, and eat directly from the grill.
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.Slices of garlic, onions, green chili peppers, mushrooms, and kimchi are often grilled alongside using the fat trickling from the pork belly.
Common accompaniments for samgyeopsal includessamvegetables such aslettuce,kkaennip(perilla leaves),ssammu(pickledradishpaper) anddipping saucessuch asssamjang(made with seasoned mixture ofchili pasteandsoy bean paste) andgireum-jang(made withsesame oil, salt, and black pepper),jangajji(soy sauce-pickled vegetables) such asmyeongi-jangajji(pickled Siberian onion leaves) oryangpa-jangajji(pickled onions),kimchi, as well as slicedgarlic,onions, and seasoned shreddedscallions.Garlic, onions, and kimchi can be either grilled with the meat or consumed raw with the cooked meat.Mushrooms, such asbutton mushroomsoroyster mushrooms, are also grilled with the meat.
Grilled meat is placed on fresh and/or pickled leaves of vegetables, with somessamjang, and rolled up to makessam(wrap) which is eaten in one mouthful.Any combination of accompaniments mentioned above can be added to the roll according to preference, most popularly sliced garlic.
Cooked rice, stews such askimchi-jjigaeanddoenjang-jjigae, as well asnaengmyeon(cold noodles), can be served as meals.Sometimes, leftover meat is mixed with rice,gim-garu(seaweed flakes), and seasonings to makebokkeum-bap(fried rice) at the end.
Samgyeopsal is often accompanied by, or accompanying (asanju) shots ofsoju.Somaek, a simple cocktail made by dumping a shot of soju into a glass of beer, is also a popular beverage consumed withsamgyeopasal.
InSouth Korea, March 3rd is "Samgyeopsal Day", due to samgyeopsal's three-layered composition.According to a 2006 survey byNational Agricultural Cooperative Federation, 85% of South Korean adults stated that their favourite slice of pork is the pork belly.
There is a myth in South Korea that eatingsamgyeopsalprotects humans from air pollution byparticulates(미세먼지;lit.fine dust).This is thought to have originated from the practice of Korean miners eating pork after an intensive mining operation.Contrary to the myth,samgyeopsalcan rather help the absorption of chemicals in the particulates that are soluble in oil.