The nationalist politics behind pad Thai | Part 1

For many diners, the first Thai dishes that spring to mind will be pad Thai, tom yum goong and green curry. They are on the menu of practically every Thai restaurant around the world.

What they might not be aware of is that the delicious concoction, called “Thai stir-fry” in the local vernacular, is not historically a traditional dish. In fact, pad Thai’s roots are as political as they are culinary. It was imposed upon the populace more than 70 years ago as a cornerstone ingredient of a nationalistic agenda. And if you ask Thais today if pad Thai is a national dish, you may not get a straight answer.

In this episode, we talk to Adam Cliff, the chef and owner of the Thai restaurant Samsen in Hong Kong; Penny Van Esterik, a retired nutritional anthropologist in Toronto, Canada; and Titima Rumguphan, the founder of the Thai Culture Association of Hong Kong, to find out the political drive and the origin of this iconic Thai noodle dish.

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Music credit: Chicken pad Thai by Billy Ogan

Written and Produced by Yang Yang