Samgyetang, or chicken soup with ginseng, has the highest calories per serving among Korean cuisine, while jjambbong, or spicy noodle soup, provides the highest sodium content. A 1,000 g serving of samgyetang provides 918 kcal, or half the daily recommended calorific intake for adults. Meanwhile, the amount of sodium in a similar sized serving of jjambbong stands at 4000.09 mg, around twice the daily level recommended by the World Health Organization.
The Korean Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday released the nutritional content per serving of over 130 types of dishes that Koreans regularly enjoy when they eat out.
According to the report, a 650 g serving of japchaebap, or stir-fried vermicelli noodles with rice and vegetables, ranked second in terms of calories with 885 kcal. This was followed by ganjjajang (650 g, 825 kcal) or stir-fried noodles with black bean sauce; jjajangmyeon (650g, 797 kcal) or Chinese-style black noodles; and jeyuk bokkeum (500g, 782 kcal), or stir-fried pork in spicy sauce.
But it should be noted that the size of the servings differ depending on the food items surveyed. When calculated for 100 g, for example, japchaebap contains more calories than samgyetang. The KFDA said that the report is based on the average size of servings at local restaurants.
To compile the report, the KFDA divided the nation into six regions and chose four restaurants each from three major cities in each region. The amount per serving is an average value of the same dish sold in the 72 eateries. The survey revealed that the servings can literally double depending on the restaurant and region.
For more information, visit the KFDA's website at http://www.kfda.go.kr/nutrition/index.do.
