Rice paper facts for kids

Rice paper is a special kind of thin, paper-like material. It can be made from different plants. Some types are used for drawing and writing, while others are edible, meaning you can eat them!

The edible kind of rice paper is often made from rice flour and tapioca flour. These are mixed with salt and water to create a thin batter. This batter is then dried into a hard, thin sheet that looks like paper. People use it to wrap up tasty foods.

There are different kinds of "rice paper" depending on what they are made from:

• Paper from a plant's inside: This type comes from the soft inner part (called the pith) of a plant called Tetrapanax papyrifer. It was used a lot in China for paintings in the late 1800s. People also used it to make fake flowers and even parts of shoes.
• Paper from mulberry trees: This is a traditional paper called Xuan paper. It's made from the paper mulberry tree. For hundreds of years, people in China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam have used it for writing, art, and building.
• Paper from plant fibers: Some "rice paper" is made from the fibers of plants like rice straw, hemp, or bamboo.
• Edible starch sheets: These are the sheets you can eat! They are often made from rice starch. In Vietnamese cuisine, they are called bánh tráng and are used to wrap spring rolls.

The Rice Paper Plant

Around the 1900s in Europe, a paper-like material became known as rice paper. This was a mistake, as it isn't actually made from rice. Instead, it comes from the soft inside (pith) of a small tree called Tetrapanax papyrifer. This plant is also known as the rice paper plant.

This plant grows in wet forests in Taiwan. It's also grown as a decorative plant because of its big, interesting leaves. To make the paper, the branches are boiled to remove the bark. The soft, round core inside is then pressed against a knife. This cuts it into thin sheets that look like fine ivory.

People often dye this rice paper in different colors to make artificial flowers. The plain white sheets are used for watercolor drawings. Because of its texture, this paper is not good for writing.

Mulberry Paper

This type of "rice paper" is smooth, thin, and strong. It's named as a wrapper for rice, but it's actually made from the bark fibers of the paper mulberry tree. It's used for origami (paper folding), calligraphy (fancy writing), paper screens, and even clothing. It is stronger than regular paper made from wood pulp. Sometimes, this paper is also made from rice straw.

The type of mulberry tree used gives the paper different names, like kozo, gampi, or mitsumata. The fibers come from the bark of the paper mulberry tree, not the wood inside. Traditionally, this paper is made by hand.

The branches of the paper mulberry shrubs are collected in the autumn. This allows the fibers to be processed and the paper made during the cold winter months. The fibers can spoil easily in warm weather. The branches are cut into pieces about two to three feet long. Then, they are steamed in a large pot. Steaming makes the bark peel off easily, like a banana peel. The bark can then be dried and stored, or used right away.

At this stage, the bark has three layers:

• Black bark: The very outside layer.
• Green bark: The middle layer.
• White bark: The innermost layer.

All three layers can be used to make paper. However, the best quality paper comes only from the white bark.

If the bark strips have been dried, they are soaked in water overnight. This prepares them for the next steps. To clean the black and green bark from the white bark, the strip is laid on a board. Then, it's scraped with a flat knife. Any hard spots or knots in the fiber are cut out and thrown away.

The scraped bark strips are then cooked for two or three hours. They are cooked in a mix of water and soda ash. The fiber is cooked enough when it can be easily pulled apart lengthwise. After cooking, the strips are rinsed many times in clean water. This washes off the soda ash and makes the fiber brighter and whiter. Fine kozo paper is naturally pure white and doesn't need to be bleached.

Each bark strip is then carefully checked by hand. Workers hold it against a white background or over a light box. They use tweezers to remove any tiny pieces of black bark or other dirt. Any knots or tough spots missed earlier are cut out. The goal is to have perfectly pure white bark.

The cleaned and cooked strips are then laid on a table and beaten by hand. The tool used for beating is a wooden bat, similar to a cricket bat. The fibers are beaten for about 30 minutes. They are ready when all the fibers have separated and no longer look like bark strips.

Now, the prepared fiber can be made into sheets of paper. A thick substance called a "formation aid" is added to a vat with the fiber and water. This aid helps slow down the water flow. This gives the paper-maker more time to form the sheets. Paper sheets are made by layering many thin layers of fiber on top of each other.

Vietnamese Edible Rice Paper

Rice paper

"Rice Paper" that you can eat is made using a process similar to making rice noodles and pho noodles. These are famous foods from Vietnam. Edible rice paper first came from the southern parts of Vietnam. Other regions in Vietnam also make different kinds of rice paper with unique names. There are many types, including traditional rice paper, coconut milk rice paper, mango rice paper, and pandan leaf rice paper.

Edible rice paper is used to make fresh spring rolls (also called salad rolls) or fried spring rolls in Vietnamese cuisine. In Vietnam, this rice paper is called bánh tráng or bánh đa nem. The ingredients for this food paper include white rice flour, tapioca flour, salt, and water. The tapioca flour makes the rice paper sticky and smooth.

It is usually sold dried in thin, crispy, clear round sheets. These sheets are often wrapped in plastic. To use them, you quickly dip each sheet for a few seconds in warm or cool water to make it soft. Then, you can wrap it around savory or sweet ingredients.

Edible paper is also used in home baking for foods like macaroons. It's sometimes sold as colored sheets, either plain or with pictures printed on them, like bank notes.

In the Media

In the first episode of the TV show Kung Fu, a character named Kwai Chang Caine trains to become a Shaolin priest. One of his challenges is to walk on a long sheet of rice paper without tearing it or leaving any marks. He successfully completes this test. This scene is even shown in the show's opening, with the words: "When you can walk its length and leave no trace, you will have learned."

See also

In Spanish: Papel de arroz para niños