Nudged by the slogan on the bag at Charmgang the other day – “no pad thai on the menu” – some friends said: Pad Thai is not Thai. Or is it the most Thai dish in modern Thai history?
The Sen Chan rice noodle dish stir-fried with eggs, tofu, tamarind paste, fish sauce, garlic, red chili, and your choice of meat or seafood is popular. It’s sold in many restaurants, street corners, wheeled carts, and overseas. It’s probably the best-known Thai food.
Historically, Chinese settlers introduced stir-fried noodles to Siam in the 1700s. They offered an affordable, alternative food option for the rice-loving Thai population. Another legend has it that a variation of the dish arrived with Vietnamese immigrants in Ayutthaya. Regardless of who brought them first, Thais and foreigners enjoy eating noodles.
Come 1930s and 1940s, the turbulent times before and during World War II changed the collective thinking on Thai nationalism. Coupled with the challenging economic times and flooding, the government encouraged reducing rice consumption as crops dwindled. It was one of its mandates to boost national identity and independence and help feed the nation. By the way, another was changing the name Siam to Thailand (1939).
Gway Teow Pad Thai prevailed in a national competition for the most Thai dish with local ingredients and flavors, organized by the Prime Minister. It should help instill a patriotic, modern feeling in the nation. While some say that only the pounded dry chili is uniquely Thai in Pad Thai, versions of the stir-fried noodles with healthy local ingredients appeared in Thai cookbooks well before the government initiative. For example, a noblewoman, Khun Sua Krang Ratana, promoted the beloved, simple dish in her book “Rabiang Phaeng” (published in 1917 and 1933).
The rice shortage and the easy preparation of the dish weren’t the only reasons to promote real Thai food. The government wanted to awaken the nation’s pride (especially because Thailand was not colonized) and reduce foreign influences. While Chinese noodle dishes are often boiled and served with pork, Pad Thai is dry, bringing out the five unique flavors of sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami (savory, tangent, spicy).
As the seasonings are served on the side, e.g., dried shrimp, bamboo shoots, fresh spring onions, banana flower, and lime wedges, diners can mix their dish to their taste and liking with a spoon and fork that are traditionally used by Thai people (not chopsticks).
So, Pad Thai is inherently Thai but not Thai. While you make up your mind, enjoy Pad Thai at your local Thai restaurant – wherever you are!
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chao phraya princess 