Square Rice Paper vs. Rounded Rice Paper

Author: Hung Tran, Last Update on : 12 May 2023
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Rice paper, the wrapper of rice paper roll, is one of the most well-known food ingredients in Vietnamese food. Square rice paper, a variety of rounded rice paper, has become more and more popular in the market. Why is the rice paper in a square shape? Does the square rice paper have a long history like the rounded one?

The Traditional Rounded Rice Paper

Rice paper has been made by hand using a steam method with a pot containing boiling and then simmering water. The pot which has a fabric on top of it to let the water steam go through is often in a rounded shape. When a batter is poured onto the fabric, it's made thinner and circular by spiralling from the center to the far edge of the pot. In this way, the rice paper has the perfect rounded shape of the pot and consistent size. The cooked but still soft and wet rice paper then is laid on a bamboo mat to dry under the sunlight. In so many families in villages in Vietnam, this method is still being used nowadays.

When the rice paper is commercially manufactured on a large scale by a machine, the popular rounded shape is copied so that the products easily enter the market. People are already so familiar with this shape, just make it more consistent, thinner and better quality. People have widely welcomed the machined-made rounded rice papers.

The Square Rice Paper, A Variety Becomes More Popular

We actually don't know when a square rice paper was first made. It has a different story from the rounded one. It does not have the historical step of jumping from a made-by-steam pot to a made-by-machine. It's the result of machine-made rice paper sheets in a version of simplified production. A machine to cut a long thin rice paper stripe into square pieces is easier and cheaper to design than a machine making rounded pieces. Why not make it in the square shape, let's try to see if the market accepts this version. Gradually, people accepted the square wrappers.

Brands Selling Square Rice Papers

The market is always competitive. When a business introduces a new product to the market, the other will follow as a copycat. Square rice paper is not an exception. Now you can find square rice papers from many popular rice paper brands. If you see a brand to have 16cm rounded rice paper and 22cm rounded rice paper, it will probably have the square varieties, in 16cm and 22cm size respectively. One example of a well-known brand is Bamboo Tree by Tufoco Vietnam.

Rice Paper Rolling Tray For Square Rice Papers?

We proudly offer you our latest product for the Square Rice Papers, the 6-pack Rice Paper Rolling Tray Square Design.

This tray was specially designed for popular type of rice papers, including square rice papers and round rice papers, for both size 22cm and 16cm.

The tray has four big slots to help your finger easily pick and lift up a sticky wet rice paper, fold and roll faster. The big slot also helps to hang the tray. The mesh design with small holes on tray are optimised to achieve the best outcome in drying and softening the wet rice paper.

If you are not happy with your existing toolkit or product, or want to have something new and better, please have a try with this new product.

The product is shipped worldwide from our Rolling Fun Ebay Store.