Starching (ahardadan)

Ingredients

superior white rice, birinj, salt

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

Superior white rice is rubbed with salt and washed until brilliant white. It is set aside in water for 24 hours until soft, then chewed with a little water to smoothen. It is poured into a clean vase, placed in a copper saucepan, and cooked over a fire until thickened. The starch is applied to the paper using a piece of white cloth while the paper is on a board. The paper is then laid on linen cloth in the sunlight. A second coat is applied, and the dry paper is moistened and burnished (mohre zanand) for beauty (p. 50).

Evidence

"Starching (ahardadan), to Thicken [Paper]: First, some superior white rice (birinj) is rubbed repeatedly with salt, and washed until it becomes a brilliant white and the salt has dissolved from it."

Remarks

Rice starch served as both a sizing agent and an adhesive for the paper support in the Indo-Persian tradition (p. 50, 53). Burnishing was essential to create a smooth surface for calligraphy (p. 50).