Beondegi (Silkworm Pupae): The Viral Korean "Height Secret" Fact-Checked — Calcium, the "UN Superfood" Claim & What Travelers Should Know

If you've been scrolling Korean Instagram lately, you may have seen a Reel promising "the #1 secret that athletes' parents use to make their kids grow taller" — but only if you comment to get the answer by DM. The video never says what the food actually is, who made the claim, or whether its bold lines ("twice the calcium of an egg", "a superfood recognized by the UN") hold up. We checked the original TV coverage, Korea's official food composition table and the UN FAO report itself, so here's the answer, the real nutrition numbers, and what to know before you try it on a street in Seoul.

Photo: National Institute of Korean Language, Wikimedia Commons "Beondegi 3.jpg" (CC BY-SA 2.0 KR) — beondegi, boiled and seasoned the way Koreans usually eat it

1. The short answer: the "secret food" is beondegi (silkworm pupae)

The mystery food is beondegi (번데기) — boiled silkworm pupae, a snack most Koreans know from street stalls, markets and bar menus.

The claim traces back to Korean actress Jung Si-a, who talked about it on MBC's talk show Radio Star, aired May 7, 2025:

• She said she bought beondegi "by the sack at the market, boiled it and kept feeding it" to her 16-year-old son, a basketball player who was 183 cm (about 6 ft) at the time of the broadcast.
• She joked that it was a "top secret only athletes' parents know" — which is almost certainly where the Reel's wording comes from.
• In the same show she also said her son takes a lot of supplements because he plays sports, and that they have "200 kinds" of supplements at home.

So the Reel is recycling a TV clip from May 2025, not 2026, and beondegi was one of many things in an athlete's routine. His current height hasn't been reported, and there's no basis for crediting his height to beondegi.

2. Fact check: "twice the calcium of an egg"? Not the kind you'll actually eat

Here are the per-100 g numbers from Korea's official food composition table (Rural Development Administration, 7th revision):

Per 100 g	Canned beondegi	Dried beondegi	Egg (raw / boiled)
Calcium	33 mg	70 mg	43 mg / 36 mg
Protein	9.6 g	22.3 g	— / 12.2 g
Calories	119 kcal	217 kcal	—
Sodium	404 mg	—	—

Source: Korean Food Composition Table, 7th revision (2006). Figures can differ slightly between editions; we couldn't directly check the newest database edition.

• The soft, wet beondegi sold at stalls and in cans has slightly less calcium than an egg (33 mg vs 36–43 mg).
• Only dried beondegi beats an egg, at roughly 1.6–1.9 times — still not "twice", and dried food is concentrated by weight, so it's not a fair comparison.
• The "as much protein as chicken breast (22–25 g)" line you'll see online also refers to the dried form. The boiled or canned kind has about 9.6 g per 100 g — similar to or a bit below a boiled egg. A decent protein snack, not a miracle.

3. Fact check: "a superfood recognized by the UN"? The report never says that

The claim leans on the UN Food and Agriculture Organization's 2013 report Edible insects: future prospects for food and feed security. We searched the original PDF:

• It covers edible insects in general, not silkworm pupae specifically.
• The word "superfood" doesn't appear anywhere in it.
• Silkworm pupae come up as a delicacy in Asia, commonly eaten in Japan, Thailand and on the Korean Peninsula.

In Korea, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety expanded edible insects including silkworm pupae into general food ingredients in October 2016. In other words, beondegi is simply regular food — not a health supplement.

4. Does it make kids taller? What pediatric specialists actually say

No study has shown that eating beondegi makes anyone taller. Korean pediatric endocrinologists interviewed by Dong-A Ilbo (Dec 10, 2025) and Seoul Shinmun (Sept 13, 2026) point to the basics instead: 8+ hours of sleep a night, a balanced diet, regular exercise, and less screen time. Genetics also plays a big role. One specialist stressed that growth speed matters more than current height — a child growing less than 4 cm (about 1.6 in) a year should see a doctor.

Photo: Nesnad, Wikimedia Commons "Beondegi Korean cuisine - June 12 2005.jpg" (CC BY 3.0) — beondegi at a street stall (taken in 2005)

5. Trying beondegi on your Korea trip: 6 things to know first

1. Shellfish allergy? Skip it. This is the big one for visitors. Silkworm pupae are a rare but serious allergen in Korea — a 10-year study at Ajou University Hospital (published 2020) found beondegi among the top 10 causes of anaphylaxis in adults. The FAO report also notes insects can cross-react with crustaceans and dust mites. If you react to shrimp, crab or insects, don't risk it.
2. Learn the word: 번데기 (beondegi). It's often sold in paper cups from steaming pots, and it also shows up as a side dish or stew at some bars. Knowing the name helps you spot it — or avoid it.
3. Start with one or two. Even without known allergies, try a small amount first, and the same goes for kids.
4. Mind the salt. Canned beondegi has about 404 mg of sodium per 100 g, much of it in the broth — drain it if you're eating it as a snack.
5. Want to bring cans home? Canned beondegi (a typical can is 130 g) is sold at Korean supermarkets and online. Check your home country's rules on bringing food and insect products before you pack it.
6. Frozen raw pupae are for cooking, not snacking. Online sellers list 1 kg for ₩9,500 (about $7) and 2 kg for ₩17,000 (about $12), plus ₩4,000 (about $3) shipping, as of September 30, 2026 — but that only makes sense if you live in Korea.

Photo: Pixabay user stawa, Wikimedia Commons "Beondegi.jpg" (CC0) — street-style beondegi in a paper cup

If you're planning a street-food crawl, our guide to sweet potatoes, bungeoppang and other Korean winter snacks covers the friendlier options too.

The bottom line

The Reel's "secret" is beondegi, borrowed from a May 2025 talk-show joke. It's a real protein snack, but "twice the calcium of an egg" is wrong for the kind you'll eat, "UN superfood" is an exaggeration, and there's no evidence it makes kids taller. Curious travelers can try a cup — just skip it if you have a shellfish allergy.

Save this before your Seoul trip so you'll know what that paper cup is when you see it. Tried beondegi already? Drop a comment and tell us how it went — and if any number here has changed, let us know and we'll update it.

Sources: Kormedi (May 10, 2025), Nate News (May 8, 2025), Herald Business, My Daily (June 19, 2025) — coverage of MBC's Radio Star, aired May 7, 2025 / Korean Food Composition Table, 7th revision (2006, hosted by FAO) / FAO, Edible insects: future prospects for food and feed security (2013) / Allergy Asthma Respir Dis 2020;8(2):80 / Ministry of Food and Drug Safety press release (Oct 11, 2016) / Dong-A Ilbo (Dec 10, 2025), Seoul Shinmun (Sept 13, 2026) / 11st product listings (checked Sept 30, 2026). Photos are freely licensed images from Wikimedia Commons, credited in each caption. Dollar amounts are rough estimates at ₩1,400 = $1. This is general information, not medical advice. As of September 30, 2026.