Edible paper - Is it paper or wafers?

Baking wafers consist exclusively of water, flour and starch. They are baked - similar to wafers - between hot irons and then cut or punched into round or rectangular pieces.

Due to the absence of dough leavening, leavening agents, egg whites and sugar, and a low level of gluten formation, wafers do not rise but remain flat, have a pappy but crumbly texture, and a rather bland taste.

Some wafers have a flat, smooth surface, while others are given patterns, often religious motifs, by engraving the baking surfaces. Wafers usually remain completely white when baked, but can also be colored. Often, wafers also serve as the base for gingerbread.

Wafers have become a popular candy for children under the name of edible paper - even more so when colorfully dyed. Here, it is usually the rectangular shape, which due to the shape and thin consistency is more reminiscent of a sheet of paper, and therefore also called edible paper.

Wafers are also distributed as hosts in church during communion.