Randy Chandler
Cheddar cheese is one of the most popular cheeses in the world, but have you ever wondered why it's orange? The answer lies in the historical cow-care practices, marketing strategies, and regional traditions of cheesemakers. In the 17th century, English cheesemakers realized that the colour of cheese was influenced by the diet of cows. During late spring and summer, when cows grazed on pastures rich in beta-carotene, their milk took on an orange-yellow tone, which was considered a marker of high-quality cheese. To standardize the colour of their cheese throughout the year and mimic the hue of premium cheese, some cheesemakers added pigments from saffron, marigold, carrot juice, or annatto, a dye derived from the seeds of the achiote tree. This tradition of dyeing cheese was carried over to the United States by cheesemakers in the Midwest, who wanted to distinguish their products from the white cheese of New England and ensure a consistent colour across seasons. Thus, the custom of dyeing cheddar cheese orange became entrenched in certain regions, shaping consumer expectations and the cheese industry as we know it today.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Reason | To pass off low-fat cheese as a high-quality product |
| To achieve a uniform colour | |
| To make the cheese stand out | |
| To differentiate from other cheeses | |
| Colouring used | Saffron |
| Marigold | |
| Carrot juice | |
| Annatto | |
| Paprika | |
| Achiote seeds | |
| Butter |
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What You'll Learn
The grazing theory
The colour of cheese has been linked to its quality, with the more yellow the cheese, the higher the price. This perception led to fraudulent activities, with some cheesemakers adding dye to their white cheese to pass it off as authentic cheddar cheese. This practice of adding dye to cheese is known as "cheese fraud" and has been prevalent for centuries.
The "grazing theory" is one of the theories that explains why cheddar cheese was originally dyed orange. This theory is based on the understanding that the composition of cow's milk is influenced by their diet. In late spring and early summer, when cows graze on pastures, they consume grass with higher levels of beta-carotene, a pigment found in fruits and vegetables like carrots. Beta-carotene is a type of carotenoid that gives certain fruits and vegetables their orange or yellow colour. This pigment is then deposited in the fat globules of the cow's milk, resulting in milk with a golden red-orange hue.
During the 17th century in England, cows were often fed grass that was high in beta-carotene, which transferred an orange-yellow tone to their milk. This milk was then used to produce cheddar cheese, resulting in a natural yellowish-orange colour. Over time, this colour became associated with high-quality cheese. As a result, cheesemakers in the United States, particularly in the Midwest, adopted the practice of adding dye to their cheese to achieve a uniform colour throughout the year and to distinguish their product from the white cheese typically produced in New England and New York.
To create the orange pigment, cheesemakers initially used natural ingredients such as saffron, marigold, carrot juice, and annatto, a dye derived from the seeds of the achiote tree. Annatto is still commonly used today to colour cheese, as it does not significantly affect the flavour or texture of the final product. The addition of annatto simply meets the consumer's expectation of the colour of cheddar cheese, which has been established through historical practices and traditions.
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17th-century fraud
In the 17th century, cheese producers would often skim the cream from the cheese to sell it separately, thus removing the cheese's natural orange tint. To disguise this, they would dye the cheese with annatto, a colouring derived from the seeds of the tropical achiote tree. This deception was used to pass their products off as full-fat, naturally yellowish-orange cheese, which was considered to be of higher quality.
The practice of dying cheese is thought to have originated in 13th-century England when butter was a luxury good. Butter with a golden hue was perceived to be of higher quality, so dairymen would dye butter to achieve this colour. As more fat was taken from the milk for butter, there was less left for cheese, so the practice of dying was carried over to disguise the low-fat cheese. By the 18th century, all cheeses were being dyed, regardless of fat content.
The tradition of colouring cheese then carried over to the United States. In the late 19th century, when the US began to export cheese to Europe, the Northeast never took up the practice of dyeing and had difficulty selling its products overseas. Today, orange cheese is popular in the Midwest, while the Northeast still prefers white cheddar.
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Marketing and regional traditions
Regional traditions also influenced the dyeing of cheddar cheese. In the United States, cheesemakers in the Midwest, particularly in Wisconsin, Ohio, and Indiana, adopted the tradition of colouring cheddar to achieve a uniform colour throughout the year. The colour of cheese varied depending on the cows' diet, with beta-carotene-rich grass in the spring and hay in the winter resulting in different cheese colours. By dyeing their cheese, Midwestern cheesemakers could distinguish their product from the typically white cheese produced in New England and the Northeast, where the tradition of dyeing cheese never caught on.
The colour orange became so strongly associated with cheese that it influenced the colour of American cheese and cheese snacks like Cheetos. Even today, most people expect cheddar cheese to be orange, and white cheddar cheese might seem unusual to some consumers. The dyeing of cheddar cheese is a combination of historical fraud, marketing strategies, and regional traditions that have shaped the cheese industry and influenced consumer expectations.
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Butter-making in 13th-century England
The process of making butter has evolved over time, with the oldest known technique still in use today resembling the method used in ancient times. This involves filling a sack, usually made from a goat's hide, with milk and shaking it until the milk fat solidifies. In the 13th century, butter was most likely being made using a similar process, with milk from cows, sheep, or goats. The milk was agitated, or churned, to separate the fat globules from the buttermilk, resulting in a semi-solid emulsion of butterfat and protein. Salt was often added to butter as a preservative, especially when it was being transported, and this is still sometimes done today for flavour.
In the 13th century, butter was likely being made on farms, either for the farm family's own use or to sell at nearby markets or stores. It was a popular food due to its cheapness and nourishment, and it could be stored for long periods in the cool, northern European climate. In England, butter was also being exported, with Scandinavian merchants exporting large amounts each year, and it was a central part of the economy in Norway, where it was even used as a form of tax payment.
The 13th century saw the continuation of a long tradition of butter-making and consumption in England, with butter playing an important role in the daily lives of people from all walks of life.
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The uniform colour of cheese
The orange colour became associated with high-quality, full-fat cheese, and soon lower-quality cheesemakers followed suit, adding dye to their cheese to trick consumers into thinking they were purchasing a superior product. This practice, known as "cheese fraud," carried over to the United States, particularly in the Midwest, where cheesemakers in states like Wisconsin, Ohio, and Indiana wanted to ensure a consistent colour throughout the year, as the natural colour of the cheese varied depending on the cows' diet.
Today, the use of annatto, a food colouring made from the seeds of the achiote tree, is the most common way to achieve the familiar orange colour of cheddar. The colour is purely for aesthetic purposes and does not affect the flavour or texture of the cheese. While orange cheddar is the most popular variety, some cheesemakers, particularly in the Northeastern United States and New England, continue to produce white cheddar, which has a similar taste and texture to its orange counterpart.
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Frequently asked questions
The colour orange was originally associated with high-quality cheese. This was because, in the 17th century, English cows grazed on grass containing high levels of beta-carotene, which gave their milk an orange-yellow tone. Cheesemakers would remove the cream to make butter, leaving behind low-fat cheese made from white milk. To pass this off as high-quality cheese, they would dye it orange.
Cheesemakers would use natural colourings such as saffron, marigold, and carrot juice to dye their cheese orange.
Nowadays, most cheesemakers use annatto, a food colouring made from the seeds of the achiote tree, to dye their cheese orange.
Over time, the colour orange became associated with cheese itself. Today, colouring cheese orange helps cheesemakers achieve a uniform colour in their cheese throughout the year.
Yes, some cheddar cheeses are referred to as ""white cheddar" or "Vermont cheddar", and are not dyed orange.
