Pad Thai is Thailand’s most popular national dish, and just about every Thai person has eaten it at some stage in their lives. But it’s actually a fairly new addition to the Thai culinary repertoire, and its history is somewhat of a mystery. The first written description of Pad Thai was published in the 20th century. It was in Krom Khun Pathom Sua, a cookbook by a Thai noblewoman named Khun Sua Khrong Ratana. The book was published in 1933, but it was actually written in the late 19th century and contains a recipe for a dish called “Thaï-mee.” That recipe calls for stir-fried thin rice noodles with bean sprouts, egg, fish sauce, tamarind water, and dried shrimp. Other recipes from the book calls for noodles made from either mung bean starch or from rice. The word “pad” literally translates to “fried,” while “Thai” refers to the people of Thailand. So it’s probably not too much of a stretch to assume that the name of the dish refers to it being a popular Thai dish. Thailand is a country of more than 60 million people and has a culture that dates back centuries. The food of this country is a great reflection of the variety of its people, their lives, and their tastes.