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Galbi or kalbi generally refers to a variety of gui or grilled dishes in Korean cuisine that is made with marinated beef (or pork) short ribs in a ganjang-based sauce (Korean soy sauce). In the Korean language, galbi literally means "rib" and can often indicate uncooked ribs. In addition, the dish's full name is galbi gui, although "gui" (grilling) is commonly omitted to refer to it.

Since galbi is generally made with beef ribs, it may be called "sogalbi" (소갈비) or "soegalbi" (쇠갈비) in Korean, whose prefix, "so" or "soe" (beef) is often omitted as well. However, just like the literal meaning, galbi dish also can be made with pork ribs or chicken. In such cases, the dish is called "dwaeji galbi" (돼지갈비) or "dak galbi" (닭갈비) to emphasize the main ingredient.

In some instances, Japanese restaurants may refer to shorts ribs or slight modifications of these dishes as "karubee," "kalubee," or any variation thereof. Individuals who are unfamiliar with Korean cuisine may easily make the mistake of thinking that these are Japanese dishes, but the name is actually referring to Korean short ribs or Korean grilled dishes. The phonetic spelling simply represents the manner in which the Japanese pronounce Kalbi or Galbi.

The ingredients (often, ribs or meats) are marinated in a sauce made primarily from Korean soy sauce, garlic, and sugar. However, several variations on the marinade exist including recipes that utilize sesame oil, rice wine or hot pepper paste. Fruit juice, lemon-lime soda and honey has become a more common addition to Korean marinades in recent years, and is present in some incarnations of the dish.

When cooked on a griddle or grill, the meat is usually cut in thin slices across the bones and called L.A. Galbi. This permits the marinade to penetrate the meat faster, allows the meat to cook more quickly, creates a more tender cut, and makes it easier to eat the finished dish with chopsticks. Pre-cut galbi is available from many meat markets in Korea and elsewhere.

Galbi is generally served in restaurants known as "galbi houses", and the meat is cooked right at customers' tables on grills set in the tables (usually by the customers themselves). It is typically served with lettuce, perilla, or other leafy vegetables used to wrap the meat, which is then dipped in ssamjang (쌈장), a sauce made of fermented bean curd and red pepper paste. It is often accompanied by side dishes known as banchan.

In Korea, galbi is also a popular picnic food, and many people have portable gas or charcoal stoves for cooking it outside.

Many Korean dishes incorporate with ribs, including soups and stews. Some restaurants serve "pork galbi," and chicken galbi is a popular specialty of the Chuncheon region.

Galbitang is a clear soup containing pieces of galbi. Galbi jjigae is a thick stew with many large pieces of galbi, usually single bone cuts, which may also contain red peppers, green peppers, kimchi, and doenjang (Korean bean curd paste).

Varieties

• Dwaeji galbi (돼지갈비), made with pork ribs that can be seasoned with a typical ganjang-based sauce or gochujang-based sauce (chili pepper condiment). In the later case, the dish is called "maeun dwaeji galbi" (매운돼지갈비), literally meaning "hot and spicy pork ribs" in Korean.
• Dak galbi (닭갈비), made with chicken legs although the name contains "galbi." It is seasoned with a gochujang-based sauce, but "maeun" (매운, hot and spicy) is not prefixed.
• Tteokgalbi (떡갈비), made with beef ribs.
• LAgalbi(LA갈비) made with beef ribs which cut laterally.

Korean cuisine as a national cuisine known today has evolved through centuries of social and political change. Its roots can be traced back to myths and legends of antiquity. Originating from ancient agricultural and nomadic traditions in southern Manchuria and northern Korean peninsula, Korean cuisine has evolved through a complex interaction of the natural environment and different cultural trends.

Ingredients and dishes vary by province. There are many significant regional dishes that have become both national and regional. Many dishes that were once regional, however, have proliferated in different variations across the country in the present day. The Korean royal court cuisine once brought all of the unique regional specialties together for the royal family. Meals consumed both by the royal family and ordinary Korean citizens have been regulated by a culture of etiquette that is unique to Korea.

Korean cuisine is largely based on rice, noodles, tofu, vegetables, and meats. Traditional Korean meals are noted for the number of side dishes (banchan) that accompany steam-cooked short-grain rice. Kimchi, a fermented, spicy vegetable dish is usually served at every meal. Korean cuisine usually involves rich seasoning with sesame oil, doenjang (fermented soybean paste), soy sauce, salt, garlic, ginger, and gochujang (red chili paste).