Image to help understand the article
Samgyeopsal, the thick-cut pork belly commonly grilled at Korean restaurants, can vary widely in nutritional content depending on how it is prepared and what ingredients accompany it.
Data from South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety compare eight pork belly dishes per 100 grams, based on surveys conducted from 2015 through 2024. Plain grilled pork belly had the most calories at 467, followed by gochujang-seasoned grilled pork belly at 403. Pork belly stir-fried with octopus had 235 calories, while a pork belly and squid bulgogi dish had 182.
Jjukkumi-samgyeopsal, made with pork belly and small octopus, had 161 calories. Pork belly stir-fried with aged kimchi and another stir-fried pork belly and octopus dish each had 151. Kimchi stew with pork belly was lowest at 78 calories per 100 grams.
Protein and Sodium Vary by Preparation
Plain grilled pork belly also had the most protein, with 22.56 grams per 100 grams. It contained 41.69 grams of fat, 0.35 grams of carbohydrates, no sugar and 576 milligrams of sodium.
Gochujang-grilled pork belly provided 14.21 grams of protein, followed by pork belly and squid bulgogi at 12.8 grams. The remaining dishes ranged from 11.3 grams for pork belly stir-fried with octopus to 3.5 grams for pork belly kimchi stew.
The aged-kimchi pork belly stir-fry had the highest sodium level at 604 milligrams per 100 grams. Plain grilled pork belly followed at 576 milligrams, while gochujang-grilled pork belly had 510. Kimchi stew with pork belly had the lowest measured sodium level at 208 milligrams.
Equal Calories Do Not Mean Equal Nutrition
The aged-kimchi pork belly stir-fry and one octopus pork belly stir-fry each contained 151 calories per 100 grams, but their other figures differed. The kimchi dish had 5.76 grams of protein and 604 milligrams of sodium, compared with 9.1 grams of protein and 341 milligrams of sodium in the octopus dish.
The figures allow diners to compare dishes based on their priorities, whether calories, sodium or protein. Across the eight dishes, calories ranged from 78 to 467, while protein ranged from 3.5 grams to 22.56 grams per 100 grams.
Comments
Post a Comment