Bushra Griffith
Cheddar cheese is not naturally orange. In its natural state, it is a white or yellowish colour. The orange hue comes from the addition of flavourless annatto seeds, or other food colourings. The tradition of colouring cheddar cheese orange arose in 17th-century England, when cheesemakers would add colourings to pass their products off as full-fat, naturally yellowish-orange cheese. The colour orange became associated with high-quality cheese, and the tradition of colouring cheese orange carried over to the U.S. with early settlers.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Natural colour of cheddar cheese | White, off-white, or yellowish |
| Colour of milk used to make cheddar cheese | White |
| Reason for orange colour | Addition of orange dye |
| Sources of orange dye | Saffron, marigold, carrot juice, annatto, paprika |
| Reason for adding orange dye | Aesthetic marketing choice, to indicate quality, to standardise colour |
| Places where cheddar cheese is commonly dyed orange | United States, especially Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, and New York |
| Places where cheddar cheese is commonly white | Vermont, New York, England |
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What You'll Learn
- The natural colour of cheddar cheese is white or yellowish
- Beta-carotene in a cow's diet can cause milk to turn orange
- Pigments from plants like saffron, marigold and carrots were used to dye cheese
- Annatto, a flavourless food colouring, is used to make cheddar orange
- The colour orange became associated with cheese and cheese snacks
The natural colour of cheddar cheese is white or yellowish
Over time, the colour orange became associated with cheese, which explains why American cheese and cheese snacks are orange. Today, the colour most often comes from annatto, a flavourless food colouring made from the seeds of the achiote tree, and/or paprika. In the 17th century, cheesemakers began adding colourings to their cheese to pass them off as full-fat, naturally yellowish-orange cheese. The tradition of colouring cheese then carried over to the US, with cheesemakers in Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, and New York having a long history of colouring cheddar.
In the early days of cheddar cheese, cheese lovers couldn't get enough of the yellow cheddar. Even today, almost 90% of all cheese sold in the United States is cheddar. People could distinguish the quality of cheese by its colour, which is why lower-quality cheesemakers started dying their white cheese orange. The colour orange was associated with high-quality cheese, and adding colour to cheese allowed cheesemakers to charge more for their product.
While most cheddars from Vermont and New York are white, the majority of Wisconsin cheddar is orange. Some cheesemakers in Wisconsin are crafting cheddar the way it was made in England before refrigeration, resulting in a natural whitish colour.
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Beta-carotene in a cow's diet can cause milk to turn orange
The colour of cheese is directly linked to a cow's diet. In the 17th century, cows in England fed on a grass diet that was high in beta-carotene, which is the same natural pigment that gives carrots their orange colour. This resulted in their milk taking on an orange pigment, which in turn produced orange-hued cheese.
Beta-carotene is a natural pigment synthesised by plants, algae, fungi and bacteria, and is necessary for mammals as it cannot be synthesised in the body. The nature of a cow's diet influences the composition of the milk it produces, including the carotenoid concentration and profile. Beta-carotene is found in fresh forage, which is the richest source of carotenoids for cows. Other main carotenoids identified in forages are lutein, zeaxanthin and epilutein.
In the spring, pasture-fed cows produce milk with higher beta-carotene levels as their diet consists of fresh grass. This milk then produces cheese with a deeper yellow colour. In the winter, when cows' diets consist mostly of hay, beta-carotene levels drop, resulting in whiter cheese.
The colour of cheese became a marker of quality, with orange cheese considered to be of higher quality and commanding a higher price. This led to the addition of pigment from saffron, marigold, and carrot juice to lower-quality, lower-fat cheese to make it appear to be of higher quality.
Today, the orange colour in cheese usually comes from annatto, a food colouring made from the seeds of the achiote tree, and/or paprika.
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Pigments from plants like saffron, marigold and carrots were used to dye cheese
The orange colour of cheddar cheese is not natural and is usually the result of dyeing. In its natural state, cheddar cheese is white or yellowish. The orange colour is often added to cheese to indicate higher quality.
Cheddar cheese was originally produced from cows that grazed on grass rich in beta-carotene, which gave their milk an orange pigment. This, in turn, gave the cheese a deeper yellow colour. This hue became a marker of high-quality cheese. To mimic this colour, lower-quality cheesemakers added pigments from plants such as saffron, marigold, and carrot juice to their cheese.
The technique of dyeing cheese moved to the U.S. with cheesemakers in Wisconsin, Ohio, and Indiana, who wanted to ensure a uniform colour throughout the year. The colour of cheese changes depending on the diet of the cows, which can affect the beta-carotene content of their milk. By adding plant pigments, cheesemakers could distinguish their product from the white cheese made in New England and New York.
Today, annatto, a food colouring made from the seeds of the achiote tree, is commonly used to give cheddar cheese its orange colour. Annatto is a natural dye that has been used in food for centuries and is imported from Latin America. It is often preferred as it has minimal impact on the flavour or texture of the cheese.
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Annatto, a flavourless food colouring, is used to make cheddar orange
Cheddar cheese is not naturally orange. In its natural state, it is a white or yellowish colour. The orange hue is the result of a long history of cheesemakers adding colour to their product.
Annatto, a flavourless food colouring, is often used to make cheddar cheese orange. Annatto is made from the seeds of the achiote tree, which is native to Latin America. It has been used as a colouring agent since at least the 16th century when it was imported to England. At the time, it was associated with high-quality cheese, and its use may have been a way for upwardly mobile Victorians to distinguish their cheese from common farmhouse cheddar.
The use of annatto to colour cheddar specifically may have begun in the late 1800s in Wisconsin. Cheesemakers in the region had moved their cows off pasture and onto dry feed, resulting in milk that produced paler cheese. To restore the colour that consumers associated with quality, they began adding annatto. Another theory suggests that Wisconsin cheesemakers used annatto to differentiate their product from the white cheddars of New York.
Today, annatto is commonly used to colour cheddar in the United States, while cheddars from Vermont and New York are often left white.
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The colour orange became associated with cheese and cheese snacks
Cheddar cheese, in its natural state, is typically white or yellowish in colour, depending on the diet of the cows from which the milk is sourced. In the 17th century, cows that grazed on high-quality grass or certain field flowers produced milk with higher levels of beta-carotene, resulting in a more yellowish or golden hue in the resulting cheese. This colour came to be associated with high-quality, flavourful cheese.
However, some cheesemakers began to engage in fraudulent practices by adding dyes to their white cheese to pass it off as a higher-quality product. They used colouring agents such as saffron, marigold, and carrot juice, and later, annatto, to mimic the yellowish-orange colour of full-fat cheese. This tradition of colouring cheese then spread to the United States, particularly in states like Wisconsin, Ohio, and Indiana, where cheesemakers wanted to ensure a uniform colour throughout the year and distinguish their products from the typically white cheese made in New England and New York.
Over time, the colour orange became strongly associated with cheese in the American market. This led to the widespread use of annatto, a flavourless food colouring made from the seeds of the achiote tree, to achieve the desired orange hue. The use of annatto also carried a certain level of prestige, as it was imported from Latin America and was associated with high-quality cheese.
The colour orange became so entrenched in the American cheese industry that it influenced the colour of cheese snacks as well. Products like Cheetos and macaroni and cheese adopted orange hues to align with the colour that consumers associated with cheese. Thus, the colour orange became a visual shorthand for cheese and cheese-flavoured snacks in the American market.
Today, while some cheesemakers are returning to the traditional methods of producing white or yellowish cheddar, the majority of cheddar cheese in certain states, like Wisconsin, remains coloured orange due to consumer expectations and the historical association of orange with high-quality cheese.
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Frequently asked questions
The colour orange became associated with cheese itself, which explains why American cheese and cheese snacks are orange too. The colour usually comes from annatto, a condiment and food colouring made from the seeds of the achiote tree.
No, in its natural state, cheddar cheese is white or yellowish in colour.
The inspiration for orange cheddar probably comes from some styles of smoked cheddar. In the early days of cheddar cheese, cheese lovers couldn't get enough of it. Cheddar became so popular that cheese shops were able to charge more for their cheddar cheese. As a result, cheesemakers started adding dye to their white cheeses to trick people into thinking they were getting authentic cheddar.
No, it depends on the region. While most cheddars from Vermont and New York are white, the majority of Wisconsin cheddar is orange.
No, the colour of the cheese does not affect its nutritional value.
