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The substance originally known as rice paper in Europe due to the mistaken notion that it is made from rice consists of the pith of a small tree, Tetrapanax papyrifer, the rice paper plant.
However, the term rice paper is also used for paper made from other plants, like paper made from rice straw or rice flour, hemp, bamboo or mulberry.
Rice paper plant
The plant grows in the swampy forests of Taiwan, and is also cultivated as ornamental plant.
In order to produce the paper,the boughs are boiled and freed from bark.
The cylindrical core of pith is rolled on a hard flat surface against a knife, by which it is cut into thin sheets of a fine ivory-like texture.
Dyed in various colors, this rice paper is extensively used for the preparation of artificial flowers, while the white sheets are employed for watercolor drawings. Due to its texture this paper is not suited for writing.
Rice straw
Rice straw can be processed into simple paper, which is used as cigarette paper, for lampe shades or partition walls. Finer paper also can be made from it, especially together with other sorts of cellulose, like hemp.
Edible paper
Some sorts of rice paper are edible, e.g. paper from rice flour, and are used for wrapping up food.
This paper is also used for cooking, e.g. spring rolls. Here the paper is put into lukewarm water, and the water dripped off before proceeding. In many places edible rice paper is available packaged in Asian food stores.
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