In the late 1930s, the leader of Thailand introduced the dish to his country in an 
effort to define a national identity and improve nutrition. The Thai government 
distributed the recipe and encouraged vendors to sell it throughout the 
country. Ironically, the dish’s iconic chiles aren’t very tied to Thailand.
The not so Thai Pad Thai
THE ORIGINS OF FOOD
Darker regions on the 
map indicate where 
more ingredients in 
pad Thai originate.
Native to Mexico and Central 
America, the chile peppers 
used in pad Thai are common 
in many Asian dishes. 
Sources: Origins of ingredients: Khoury et al. (2016) Proc Roy Soc B 283(1832): 20160792. Highlighted areas 
are world geographic regions where the plants and animals in food ingredients were domesticated.
Calories: USDA Food Composition Databases (2018), www.nutritionix.com
Graphic: Álvaro Valiño, Kelsey Nowakowski and Colin Khoury 
Origins of pad Thai ingredients Contribution to calories
RICE NOODLES EGG PEANUTS OIL SAUCE
CHICKEN MUNG BEAN SPROUTS GREEN ONIONS LEMON CHILE PEPPER
Where did each ingredient originate?
51.5% SOUTH ASIA
19.5% WEST AFRICA
8.6% AMAZON
8.4% WEST ASIA
6.7% SOUTHEAST ASIA
5.2% OTHER
EAST ASIA
SOUTH ASIA
WEST ASIA
CENTRAL
ASIA
WEST AFRICA
SOUTHEAST ASIA
AMAZON
MEXICO AND
CENTRAL AMERICA
Sugar (shown), vinegar, and fish sauce 
are combined to make the sauce.
Palm oil (shown) is commonly used in 
cooking pad Thai. Butter and other 
vegetable oils are also used.
Each map shows the origins of common ingredients found in the dish.