Rice Paper

Rice paper is an umbrella term that has been used to collectively refer to several paper-like materials from East-Asia made from various plants. In different context rice paper may refer to:

• Thin peeled dried pith of Tetrapanax papyrifer: A sheet-like "paper" material was used extensively in late 19th century Guangdong China as a common support medium for gouache paintings sold to Western clients of the era. The term was first defined in the Chinese-English Dictionary of Robert Morrison who referred to the use of the Chinese medicinal plant as material for painting, as well as for making artificial flowers and shoe soles.
• Xuan paper made from paper mulberry: The traditional paper which originated in ancient China and it has been used for centuries in China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam for writing, artwork, and architecture.
• Various pulp-based papers: May be made from the rice straw or other plants, such as hemp and bamboo.
• Dried starch sheets of various thickness or texture: These edible paper sheets have some properties of pulp paper and can be made from rice starch. They are known as banh trang, used in Vietnamese cuisine.

Rice Paper Plant

In Europe, around the 1900s, a paperlike substance was originally known as rice paper, due to the mistaken notion that it is made from rice. 

The plant grows in the swampy forests of Taiwan, and is also cultivated as an ornamental plant for its large, exotic leaves. 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.

Edible Paper
Edible rice paper is used for making fresh summer rolls(salad rolls) or fried spring rolls in Vietnamese cuisine, where the rice paper is called bánh tráng or bánh đa nem. Ingredients of the food rice paper include white rice flour, tapioca flour, salt, and water. The tapioca powder makes the rice paper glutinous and smooth. It is usually sold dried in thin, crisp, translucent round sheets that are wrapped in cellophane. The sheets are dipped briefly in hot water to soften them, then wrapped around savoury or sweet ingredients.Edible paper is used in the home baking of foods such as macaroons and is often sold separately as colored sheets that are either plain or printed with images, such as bank notes and dollar bills.

Rice Paper in Media
Rice paper was a central feature in the opening scenes of the TV show Kung Fu, where the young Kwai Chang Caine rolled out a long length of rice paper and walked on it, trying to leave behind no trace of his passage. " When you can walk along its length and leave no trace, it will be time for you to leave."- Wikipedia