We love cheese, and we’re eating more of it than ever: about 37 pounds per year, more than double what we ate four decades ago. A large chunk of our cheese eating is made up of cheddar cheese, which has been a favorite for decades. Cheddar is a versatile cheese that comes in many varieties, and one of the most noticeable differences from one cheddar to another is color ― some are white, while others are orange. Cheese eaters may have a preference for white vs. orange cheddar, but what exactly is the difference between the two?
The simple answer, orange cheddar has color added. To make orange cheddar, cheesemakers color the cheese, usually with a food coloring derived from the seeds of the tropical achiote tree native to the Americas. The most common theory for why some cheddar is dyed at all, is that the added color gives cow’s milk cheese, like cheddar, a consistent look throughout the year. It depends on what the cow eats, and that reflects on the colour, so to make it consistent for appearance the color is added. The practice of adding colour has been a part of cheese-making for centuries. European, cheesemakers used marigold petals to color cheeses and make them look more “vibrant and rich.
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