For many holidaymakers, pad thai is the quintessential Thai street food.

Perhaps also because, unlike many other dishes, it is usually not spicy. The dreaded little chilies are usually missing here.

That makes Pad Thai particularly accessible to many visitors. But as simple as this dish may seem, its history is unusual.

Pad Thai didn’t just happen to emerge by chance from some street stall. It was promoted by the government in the early 1940s. Field Marshal Phibun wanted to create a truly national dish.

Siam had just been renamed Thailand, and the country was meant to develop a stronger sense of national identity. At the same time, it was facing economic hardship.

Rice harvests had fallen, and prices on the world market had dropped. Rice noodles offered an advantage here. One bowl of low-grade broken rice could be used to make two bowls of filling rice noodles. That’s why rice noodles became the basis of this new dish.

There was even a national campaign with the message.

Noodles are your lunch.

Pad Thai shouldn’t just fill you up; it should also show how this dish belongs to the whole country. Its ingredients came symbolically from different regions of Thailand. Palm sugar adds sweetness. It comes mainly from the south and the central plains.

Peanuts give the dish its crunch. They come mainly from the north, where sandy soil is ideal for growing them.

The fish sauce and shrimp come from the coastal regions of the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea.

Tofu was also traditionally made, especially in Bangkok’s Chinatown and the surrounding capital region.

To this day, it’s disputed who actually invented the recipe. What’s certain, though, is that the government had it promoted throughout the country.

To this day, it’s disputed who actually invented the recipe. What is certain is that the government had it promoted throughout the country. In some places, free carts were even provided so vendors could sell Pad Thai.

Over the past decades, it has developed differently from region to region. In Bangkok, it’s usually a little sweeter.

In the east, around Chantaburi, thinner noodles and a robust, sweetish crab paste are often used. The flavor of the sea is more pronounced here.

In the northeast, in Isan, papaya salad is often a little spicier and more sour.

In the south, people also prefer more robust versions, often made with shrimp paste.

But no matter where you eat, balance is always key.

Sweet acidity, saltiness, and the slight bite of the noodles.

When this balance is right, you immediately understand why Pad Thai has become world-famous.

My tip: In Bangkok, you’ll find Pad Thai at countless street food stalls and in many restaurants. Thipsamai has been my personal favorite for years. The restaurant is in the Old Town, not far from beautiful Romaneenart Park. Their Pad Thai is especially well balanced, in my opinion—not too sweet, not too sour, with just the right depth of flavor.

There’s also a branch in the food court on the lower level of Siam Paragon. That one is highly recommended, too.

My tip: don’t order Pad Thai just because it’s famous. Look for a delicate balance of flavors.

When sweet-and-sour flavors, fish sauce, peanuts and rice noodles come together, pad Thai is so much more than a tourist classic.

Then it’s a piece of Thai history on your plate.