Just like Thai noodle stir-fry (the famous "pad thai"), or spicy shrimp soup ( the explosive "tom yam kung"), green papaya salad "som tam" is now one of the Top 5 dishes that are truly emblematic of Thai cuisine.

Originating from the vast North-East of the Kingdom (Isan), this salad owes its name to the fact that it essentially represents a sour ("som") mixture prepared in the kitchen with a drumstick ("tam": "hammer").

Historically...

When we look at its history, it emerges quite quickly from any available documentation that despite what we are generally inclined to think, som tam is not, in fact, a dish attached in a multi-secular or even: "consubstantial", in the North-East of Thailand... but, almost a contrario, a preparation which, having been "invented" thanks to the import into Isan from Malaysia, during the Vietnam War, of many papayas, would count at most, well calculated: only from 50 to 60 years of existence...

Discover the true Thai flavours prepared by talented chefs who respect tradition. The best Thai restaurant Manola Brussels invites you to discover and share real Thai food.  

A true national emblem, Pad Thai is the most famous Thai dish in the world. A look back at the history of a dish, which does not have much to do with Thai!

Pad Thai (ผัดไทย), literally "Thai-style fried noodles", is a dish made up of rice noodles, eggs, yellow tofu, dried shrimp, fish sauce, soya sprouts and chili. All ingredients used for the most part, except chili, in Chinese cuisine. And for good reason, some would go back to the origin of this dish in the kingdom of Ayutthaya (1351-1767). At the time, the capital was a real economic centre, a meeting point for international traders, cultures mixed, communities settled and spread their habits.

Pad Thai Thai cuisine Thailand Unusual news
Pad Thai could be an adaptation of the Vietnamese "Pho Xao" or the "Kiaw tiao", Chinese fried noodles. But at that time, we don't talk about Pad Thai yet. It was not until the 1940s and the consequences of various factors, both economic and nationalist, that prevailed in government policy at the time that this dish, which was inseparable from Thai cuisine, appeared.

Develop a feeling of "Thainess"

In 1938, Marshal Phibun Songkhram, then Prime Minister and military dictator of Thailand, launched a vast campaign to modernize the country while setting up a regime inspired by European fascism based on ultra-nationalist propaganda. The government imposes as a national language the language spoken in Bangkok, changes the name of Siam in Thailand (country of the free), encourages the population to adopt Western clothing, changes the first day of the year to match it to the European calendar.

With the Second World War, Thailand found itself in the midst of an economic crisis. As one of the largest rice exporters, the government decides to make up the deficit by exporting more and encouraging people to consume more rice noodles. As noodles were already very popular and always in a desire to develop a nationalist feeling, what the Marshal called "Thainess", he decided to create a national dish, the "Pad Thaï", he distributed the recipe all over the country and encouraged street vendors to offer it to the population. Very quickly the dish became one of the basics of what can be called "fast food" in Thailand.

Today, it is almost impossible to list the number of restaurants that serve them, as well as to count the many variations. Each chef has his own secret recipe and if the dish is very simple, it is not easy to find a "good" Pad Thai.

Street Food is an integral part of our Thai DNA.

In Bangkok, you can eat almost 24 hours a day! Street Food stands are as easy to find in the streets as they are in night markets. And the price? Between 40 and 80 baht (between 1 and 2 EUR)! Really not much for tasty dishes like the must-have PAD THAI (those fried noodles that everyone knows), SATAY KAI (those little grilled chicken skewers and their peanut sauce), SOM TAM (spicy green papaya salad) or noodle soups of all kinds,... and for sweet little desires: a wide selection of ready-to-eat fresh cut fruit or other typical desserts such as banana pancakes to name just one.

Lovers of authentic Thai cuisine should not miss this experience during their trip!

Discover the true Thai flavours prepared by talented chefs who respect tradition. The best Thai restaurant Manola Brussels invites you to discover and share real Thai food.