Patrick Oconnell
Cheddar cheese is one of the most popular varieties of cheese in the United Kingdom and the United States. It is available in two different colours: white and yellow. The colour of cheddar cheese depends on the diet of the cows the milk comes from, with pasture-fed cows producing milk with higher beta-carotene levels, resulting in a deeper yellow colour. Some cheesemakers also add dyes to their milk to achieve a more uniformly yellow colour, such as annatto, a plant extract from the achiote tree, or saffron, carrot juice, and marigold.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Colour | Naturally, cheddar cheese is white or pale to mid-yellow in colour. |
| Colour Causes | The colour of cheddar cheese depends on the diet of the cows the milk comes from, with pasture-fed cows producing milk with higher beta-carotene levels. |
| Colour Additives | Annatto, saffron, marigold, carrot juice, paprika, and vegetable dyes are all used to colour cheddar cheese. |
| Taste | The taste of cheddar cheese is not affected by its colour. |
| Texture | Cheddar cheese develops a dry, hard rind similar to Parmesan, but this is often prevented by covering the cheese with wax or cutting it off before sale. |
| Age | Mild cheddars are aged for two to three months, while extra sharp cheddars are aged for one to five years. |
| Taste Development | The sharpness of cheddar cheese increases with age. |
| Texture Development | Long-aged cheddars develop a crumbly, crystallized texture. |
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What You'll Learn
Why is real cheddar cheese yellow?
The colour of cheddar cheese depends on the breed of cow, the cow's diet, and the ratio of cream in the milk. In its natural state, cheddar cheese is white or a pale to mid-yellow colour. The yellow colour is due to the beta-carotene in the grass that cows graze on. As cows digest the grass, the orange/yellow pigment is found in the milk fat.
Cows that eat primarily green grass produce milk with higher beta-carotene levels, resulting in a deeper yellow colour in the cheese. In the winter, when cows' diets consist mostly of hay, beta-carotene levels drop, and the milk produces cheese with a paler yellow colour.
To create a more uniformly coloured product, some cheese producers add vegetable dyes such as annatto, a flavourless plant extract from the achiote tree, saffron, marigold, carrot juice, and paprika. The addition of dye to cheese began as a way to hide the lack of cream in the cheese, as whole-fat cheese was once considered a sign of quality.
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Why is cheddar cheese white or yellow?
Cheddar cheese is one of the most popular varieties of cheese in the world, with a distinctive sharp taste and a hard texture. It is made from cow's milk, with milk from goats, sheep, and even non-dairy milk used to produce cheddar-style cheeses. The colour of cheddar cheese varies from white to yellow, and sometimes orange. So, why is cheddar cheese white or yellow?
The colour of cheddar cheese depends on several factors, primarily the diet of the cows producing the milk, and the addition of natural or artificial dyes. The natural colour of cheddar cheese is white to a pale or mid-yellow, depending on the diet of the cow. The colour of milk can range from white to deep yellow, depending on what the cows eat, the breed of cows, and the ratio of cream in the milk. When cows eat primarily green grass, the milk produced is tinted a natural yellow or orange colour due to the beta-carotene in the grass. This beta-carotene is the same pigment that gives carrots their orange colour.
Cows that graze on pastures produce milk with higher beta-carotene levels in the spring when their diet consists of fresh grass. As a result, the cheese made from this milk is a deeper yellow colour. In the winter, when cows' diets consist mostly of hay, beta-carotene levels in the milk drop, resulting in paler cheese. The natural yellow colour of the cheese was also an indicator of quality, as it signalled that the cheese was made from whole fat milk.
To standardise the colour of their cheese, cheese producers started adding vegetable dyes to their milk as early as the 17th century. Today, many cheesemakers use natural dyes like annatto, a plant extract from the achiote tree, or artificial colouring agents to achieve the characteristic yellow or orange colour. Some producers also add paprika, which imparts a deeper yellow colour. The addition of dyes allows cheesemakers to ensure a uniformly coloured product and maintain a consistent appearance for their cheese.
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What is the process of making cheddar cheese?
The colour of cheddar cheese can vary from white to deep yellow, depending on the diet of the cows from which the milk is sourced, the breed of cows, and the cream content of the milk. Traditional cheddar cheese was a pale to mid-yellow colour due to the b-carotene in the grass that dairy cows grazed on. As dairy production has moved away from pastures, "natural" cheddar cheese is now typically white to very pale yellow. To compensate for the colour difference, some producers add colouring from flower extracts, carrot juice, or saffron.
The process of making cheddar cheese is known as "cheddaring". It involves the following steps:
Firstly, cultures and rennet are added to milk to acidify and curdle it. The rennet coagulates the milk protein and forms curds. The mixture is then thoroughly stirred to ensure equal mixing. Once the curds form, they are cut into slabs using a milling machine or stainless steel knives.
Next, in the cheddaring phase, the slabs are stacked and flipped repeatedly, further compressing the curds and squeezing out the whey. The slabs are kept warm (85-90°F) and turned at 15-30 minute intervals for 2-3 hours. This process helps to remove moisture and develop the acid in the cheese.
After the cheddaring phase, the curds are cut into smaller pieces and salt is added. The amount of salt can vary from 1% to 3% by weight. Salt helps to remove whey, lower moisture content, enhance flavour, and prevent the cheese from becoming too acidic.
The curds are then placed into moulds and pressed into blocks. Finally, the cheddar cheese is aged. The ageing time depends on the desired type of cheddar. Mild cheddars are typically aged for two to three months, while extra sharp cheddars are aged for one to five years. The longer the cheese ages, the sharper the flavour becomes, and the texture becomes crumbly and crystallized.
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What is cheddaring?
The process of making cheddar cheese is so distinctive that cheesemakers coined a verb, "cheddaring", to describe it.
Cheddaring is a cheesemaking process that gives the cheese a dense, layered texture. It involves cutting up curds into smaller pieces to expel liquid (whey). The smaller the curds are cut, the more liquid will drain from them, and the firmer the resulting cheese will be. This step is used when making almost all types of cheese, but it is taken one step further for cheddar cheese. The curds are cut up and then pressed together into slabs, which are stacked on top of each other. The weight of the slabs pressing down forces out even more moisture. Then the slabs of curds are cut up again, pressed into slabs again, and stacked again. This process continues until so much whey is expelled that, after ageing, the cheese will have a crumbly, layered, dense texture.
Cheddar cheese was first made in England but is now made all over the world. Farmhouse cheddar, however, is made entirely on the same farm, from gathering the milk to ageing the cheese, and is aged for at least nine months. The colour of the milk used to make cheddar can range from white to deep yellow, depending on what the cows were eating, the breed of cows, and the ratio of cream remaining in it. The colour of the cheese can also be affected by the cheesemaking process, as the curds are cooked at a temperature of up to 39°C or 102°F.
Cheddar cheese is a hard, sharp-tasting natural cow's milk cheese that originated in the English village of Cheddar in Somerset. It is now widely produced throughout the world, and cheddar-style cheeses may also use goat's, sheep's, and even non-dairy milk. Modern cheddars differ from traditional recipes, as the process easily adapted to industrial-scale production.
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What is the history of dying cheese yellow?
The colour of cheese, specifically cheddar cheese, has a long and interesting history. The process of making cheddar cheese is distinctive and involves adding cultures and rennet to milk to acidify and curdle it. Once the curds form, they are cut and pressed into slabs, which are then stacked and flipped repeatedly to compress the curds and squeeze out moisture. The sharpness of cheddar cheese depends on the length of ageing.
Cheddar cheese, which originated in the village of Cheddar in Somerset, England, was traditionally a pale to mid-yellow colour. This colour came from the beta-carotene in the grass that dairy cows grazed on. As cows digested the grass, the orange/yellow pigment was carried by the fat in the cream and found its way into the milk.
However, in the 17th century, cheesemakers started skimming milk to sell the cream and butter separately, increasing their profits. The resulting cheese made from skimmed milk was much whiter and less yellow. Consumers associated the yellow colour with higher quality cheese, so cheesemakers started adding dyes to their cheese to make it look more appealing. This practice, known as "cheddaring", was considered deceptive and fraudulent.
Over time, the tradition of colouring cheese evolved, and cheesemakers in the United States, especially in the Midwest, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, and New York, continued the practice. They used annatto, a plant extract from the achiote tree, to achieve the characteristic orange colour. Today, the colour of cheddar cheese can vary, with some producers favouring natural white cheddar, while others continue to use dyes to achieve a more consistent and appealing colour.
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Frequently asked questions
The colour of milk can range from white to deep yellow depending on what the cows were eating. When cows eat primarily green grass, the milk is tinted a natural yellow or orange colour due to the beta-carotene in the grass.
Yes, there is a difference. In its natural state, cheddar cheese is white or yellowish. However, cheese producers started adding vegetable dyes to their milk as far back as the 17th century to control the consistency of colour in their cheese.
Before "low-fat" dairy became popular, cheese made out of whole fat was a sign of quality. However, dairy farmers could not skim the cream to sell separately. When cows eat primarily green grass, the milk is tinted yellow, but once the cream is skimmed from the milk, cheese made out of it would be white, indicating lower-quality cheese.
Many cheesemakers use annatto, a plant extract from the achiote tree, to give their cheese the characteristic orange colour. Some cheesemakers use artificial colouring agents, while others use natural ingredients such as saffron, marigold, carrot juice, and paprika.
No, annatto is a natural additive that does not affect the flavour. The choice between white or yellow cheddar is simply a matter of personal preference.
