The irony of this dish is that it is heavily influenced by Chinese cuisine. Pad Thai, which is also known by its full name kway teow pad Thai, is a fried rice noodles dish with varied ingredients but also unique flavors. The use of rice noodles instead of rice would reduce its domestic consumption and allow the country to dispose of larger amounts for export and therefore help with the economic recovery. Phibun decided to create and popularize a dish with affordable ingredients that could feed his people since rice, Thai cuisine’s main staple, was quite expensive for the poorest. He forced them to learn the new national anthem and he ordered that forks and spoons be used as Thais traditionally ate with their hands.ĭuring his first term from 1938 to 1944, the country went through a tough economic period. He demanded that the Thais speak the national language and not the many dialects that were still spoken in the country. He asked that Thais dress like Westerners. During his mandate, particularly his first term during the second world war, Phibun also contributed to the modernization of Thailand. He is credited with the change of name of the country from Siam to Thailand (land of the Thais or free). Phibun came to power at the dawn of the Second World War.

Plaek Phibunsongkhram or simply Phibun as he was called in the West, is the name of the Prime Minister and dictator of the Thai state who ruled the country during the Second World War but also until 1957. Pad thai (ผัดไทย) is probably the most famous Thai dish around the world but it is also one of the least traditional dishes in Thai cuisine.

Cooking pad thai