Pad Thai or Phat Thai (Thai: ผัดไทย, RTGS: Phat Thai, ISO p̄hạdịthy, [pʰàt tʰāj], "fried Thai style"; Vietnamese: "Phở Xào") is a dish of stir-fried pho noodles, a type of rice noodle, with eggs, fish sauce (Thai: น้ำปลา), tamarind juice, red chili pepper, plus any combination of bean sprouts, shrimp, chicken, hot dogs,[1][2] or tofu, garnished with crushed peanuts, coriander and lime, the juice of which can be added along with Thai condiments (crushed peanuts, garlic, tomato, chives, pickled turnip, coriander, lime, spicy chili oil, chili powder, vinegar, fish sauce, sugar). It is usually served with scallions and pieces of raw banana flower.
It is listed at number 5 on World's 50 most delicious foods readers' poll compiled by CNN Go in 2011.[3]
History[edit]
Pad Thai is of Vietnamese origin,[4][5] which uses pho noodles (Bánh Phở in Vietnamese)[6] and Chinese ingredients.[7] In Vietnam, it is called "phở xào" or "bánh phở xào sa tế," meaning "stir-fried pho," a popular street food, with sate (garlic, peanuts, and chiles), mung bean sprouts, meat of some sort, scallions, and fish sauce, often served with pickled vegetables. The dish was said to be imported to the ancient Thai capital city of Ayuthaya by Viet traders, and was then altered to reflect the Thai flavor profile and assigned a name reflecting its newly acquired Thai character.[7] The dish was made popular in Thailand by Luang Phibunsongkhram, the prime minister during the late 1930s and 1940s, and renamed to pad Thai as part of his campaign to promote Thai nationalism and centralization, seeking to reduce domestic rice consumption.[8] The Thai economy was heavily dependent on rice exports, and the prime minister hoped to increase the amount available for export by encouraging Thais to make and sell rice noodles from street carts and in small restaurants.[9] Pad Thai has since become one of Thailand's national dishes.[10]
Pop culture[edit]
- The Thai film Jao saao Pad Thai uses pad Thai as a plot device as the protagonist claims she will marry whoever eats her pad Thai for 100 days in a row.[11]
- In 2008, in an episode of Throwdown! with Bobby Flay, Bobby Flay was defeated by Chef Nongkran Daks at her restaurant, Thai Basil, in Chantilly, Virginia.[12]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
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