is it parchment?
true parchment paper
Parchment paper is a high-quality, wood-pulp-based paper, processed into a strong resilient sheet, correctly termed "vegetable parchment". Ancient parchment was a sheet of writing material made from processed animal skins, i.e. "animal parchment".
True parchment differs from other papers by having the wood fibers essentially melted together to make them resistant to separation. The sheet becomes strong and tough, impervious to water and grease or oil, and can be boiled and baked at high temperatures (up to 450 degrees F) without losing its integrity.
real parchment silicone panliner
If you need a high-performance baking pan liner, one that can handle high temperatures, sticky items, and repeated uses, the product is called a silicone parchment panliner. The sheet is thicker than commodity everyday panliner available all over: it is stronger and resistant to burning and curling, and can be re-used multiple times. Usually a basic medium-weight 27# (44 gsm) silicone parchment, but it also comes in a heavy silicone parchment, 35# or 60 gsm, which makes up for its higher cost by potentially being re-used up to 20 times. We also have super heavyweight 52# 80 gsm silicone parchment.
If correctly labeled, real parchment is called "genuine vegetable parchment" (GVP).
NOT real parchment paper: i.e. "Quilon parchment", "unbleached parchment panliner", "drywax parchment"
Unfortunately, the term "parchment paper" is used widely for any "greaseproof" or "grease resistant" panliner baking paper of any quality or coating, leading to endless confusion when customers ask for "parchment". If the manufacturers are honest, they will avoid using the term "parchment" in the name of their lower quality non-parchment product.
Typically we can resolve this by questioning the price, thickness, or coating: real parchment panliner is about twice the price of regular commercial commodity "panliner"; the basis weight of the parchment is typically heavier, i.e. 27# or 44 gsm (or more) compared to 24# or 40 gsm for "greaseproof" non-parchment panliner; and lastly, if coated in cheaper Quilon (not silicone), it is almost always a non-parchment greaseproof sheet (GPQ).
just a greaseproof panliner
Standard panliners that are not real parchment account for 90% of the panliner market and work for moderate temperatures, one or two bakings, not especially sticky items, and are reasonably priced.
They are often called "parchment" baking paper, but they are not. They should be called baking panliners, greaseproof panliners, Quilon panliners, or drywax panliners.
coatings
Parchment used for baking is coated with a non-stick silicone that is organic and food-grade. The food-grade silicone is the only coating on most real genuine parchment sheets. The cheaper substitute Quilon, contains the heavy metal chromium and is used on lower grades of greaseproof papers for panliners, abbreviated GPQ, or greaseproof quilon. Quilon is not generally used in Europe due to health concerns about exposure to heavy metals.
Uncoated parchment is used for non-baking purposes where non-stick is not needed- for example, for wrapping the outside of tamales in the husk before they are steamed, or as a food wrap for any non-sticky food exposed to liquid, oils, soaking, steaming or freezing.
parchment history
The word "parchment" derives from the name of the ancient Greek city of Pergamon, presently located along the Aegean coast of Turkey. The city specialized in producing animal-skin parchment and the product was named for the city, especially apparent in the Spanish word for parchment which is "pergamino". Prior to the use of animal skins, there was paper made from the reed called papyrus, originating as far back as 3,000 BC. The word "paper" is derived from the papyrus reed used widely in ancient Egypt.