rice paper

[ rahys pey-per ]

noun

1. a Chinese or Japanese paper made from the pith of the rice-paper tree or certain other plants, cut and pressed into thin sheets:

   a watercolor painting on rice paper.

2. a thin paper made from the straw of the rice plant, as in China.
3. (in Southeast Asian cuisine) an almost translucent sheet made from a dough of rice flour and water, used for wrapping spring rolls and other foods.

rice paper

noun

1. a thin semitransparent edible paper made from the straw of rice, on which macaroons and similar cakes are baked
2. a thin delicate Chinese paper made from an araliaceous plant, Tetrapanax papyriferum ( rice-paper plant ) of Taiwan, the pith of which is pared and flattened into sheets

Word History and Origins

Origin of rice paper¹

First recorded in 1810–15