There is a simple answer to the question why Cheddar is orange: the cheese, which comes from the southwest of England, is colored.
Why Cheddar is orange: A plant dye colors the cheese
Cheddar does not get its characteristic color naturally. Like other types of cheese, the cheese actually has a light yellow to whitish color.
- The orange color comes from the fact that cheddar is colored. A natural coloring called “annatto” is traditionally used for this.
- Annatto is a plant dye obtained from the annatto bush, which is mainly grown in Southeast Asia and South America. Like the dye in carrots, it is one of the so-called carotenoids and is harmless to health.
- You can find an indication that Cheddar is coloured in the ingredients list on the packaging. The ingredient “E 160” is nothing other than the E number of the colouring agent Annatto.
- Since annatto has no taste of its own, the coloring does not affect the flavor of the cheese. The addition of the coloring is therefore purely for aesthetic reasons.
- By the way: In the supermarket you can find not only colored cheddar, but also uncolored. This has a similar yellow color to regular cheese.