![]() In pad thai, lime and tamarind add both acidity and sweetness. Thai food is famous for integrating and balancing many flavors in a single bowl. In addition to a primary protein like chicken, shrimp, or tofu, pad thai usually contains stir-fried eggs, bean sprouts, and chopped peanuts, giving it the potential to be a full meal. This could be why the recipe for pad thai features so many forms of protein compared to other noodle dishes from the region. He wanted to promote a diet that was cheap, filling, and nutritious. Using the slogan “ noodle is your lunch,” Phibun’s propaganda campaign presented eating the dish every day as a patriotic act. One bowl of rice could be used to make two bowls of rice noodles, so Phibun touted noodles as an alternative starch in hopes of stretching the nation’s rice supply. ![]() World War II had begun, and the conflict-combined with destructive flooding-led to a rice shortage. The early 1940s were a time of economic hardship in his country. Prime Minister Phibun soon had other reasons for promoting pad thai, though. Its original name- kway teow pad thai-means “Thai-style stir-fried noodles” in Chinese, which would be a pretty odd thing for a Thai chef to name a dish. Some historians think pad thai actually originated with Chinese cooks. In Thailand, even into the 1900s, fried noodles were still strongly associated with Chinese cuisine. But by Phibun’s own nationalistic standards, it may have fallen short. Of course, the fact that pad thai uses global ingredients doesn’t make it any less Thai. Fish sauce-which has its own complicated international history-is another common item used in pad thai. Tamarind comes from tropical Africa and chili peppers from South and Central America. Mung beans were originally cultivated in India, and peanuts were first grown in South America. Pad thai embodies the contradictory impulses behind the mandates: Phibun chose the dish to represent the nation, but most of the ingredients used to make it come from other parts of the world. In a similar vein, Mandate 5 said that people should eat food made from exclusively Thai ingredients. Mandate 10, for example, effectively forbade many traditional Thai garments while Mandate 5 told citizens to wear clothing made from Thai products. These mandates sought to promote patriotism while at the same time encouraging more Westernized behaviors. ![]() Phibun introduced 12 Cultural Mandates meant to modernize and unify the nation. Whatever the case, it served Phibun’s needs perfectly. It may have been based on an old Chinese dish. In Gastronomica, the Journal for Food Studies, Phibun’s son recalled it being served in the family household, possibly invented by the family cook or an aunt. Now, to be clear, it’s not like pad thai was cooked up in some government laboratory somewhere. His efforts included changing the name of the country from Siam to Thailand, introducing a new national anthem, and promoting a new national dish: pad thai. Phibun made it his mission to create a unified national identity that would bring his people together. These early noodle dishes may have been precursors to pad thai, which generally consists of stir-fried rice noodles served with vegetables, bean sprouts, variable proteins-including peanuts-and flavorful condiments.Īfter Phibun helped end the absolute Thai monarchy as a military officer in the early 1930s and came to power himself later in the decade, the destabilized nation was vulnerable to colonization. In the 18th century, Chinese traders introduced stir-fried noodles to the region that is Thailand today. The Chinese first made noodles 4000 years ago, and they started stir-frying food in woks sometime after that. The origins of stir-fried noodles in Thailand can actually be traced back centuries before Phibun rose to power.
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