How does cheddar become orange

Meanwhile, cheese makers realized they could make more money from the richer, creamier top portion of their stock and began to skim this off and sell it separately. Unfortunately, the rest of the cheese stock at the bottom did not contain as much beta carotene and was markedly different in color. The cheese makers responded to high demand by coloring their products artificially. Most cheddar that is orange today is artificially colored.

Cheese makers used natural sources like marigold flowers to color their cheddar, and when the cheesemaking traditions carried over to America, some farmers chose to continue this method. Although there was no longer such a high demand for orange cheese especially among New England consumers, the coloring process created a product that stood out with bright, uniform color.

To this day, the method continues. And since when is it normal for cheese to be orange? Picture a cheeseburger , a grilled cheese , a bowl of macaroni and cheese , or a box of Cheez-Its. The cheese is orange, but why?

Find a friend or family member to help you check out the following activities:. Welcome back, Mr. Fred's Class! You can use the search feature to find more Wonders about cheese. Fred's 4th Grade! We hope this Wonder was helpful! Interesting, Michee!

Thanks for sharing! One way you can experience cheese-making for yourself is to get a mozzarella cheese kit. You and your family can test your cheese-making skills and follow the process- it's like a science experiment that you can eat! We are so happy you've been thinking about all the steps involved in making cheese today! We can't wait to Wonder with you again! What a great Wonder, Angel! Hey there Wonder Friend J, we're glad you're here! We think it's fun to Wonder about new and exciting topics-- just like the color of cheese!

Hi, :D! Does your friend hate ALL cheese or just some varieties? What does she eat on her pizza? Hi, Elise! Thanks for joining the conversation. Sometimes the cheese may be artificial. We appreciate you sharing that information! We are undergoing some spring clearing site maintenance and need to temporarily disable the commenting feature.

Thanks for your patience. Drag a word to its definition. You have answered 0 of 3 questions correctly and your score is:. Want to add a little wonder to your website? Help spread the wonder of families learning together. We sent you SMS, for complete subscription please reply. Follow Twitter Instagram Facebook. Where does cheese come from? How does cheese get its color? What is America's favorite cheese dish?

Wonder What's Next? Try It Out Are you ready to get cheesy? Find a friend or family member to help you check out the following activities: Hungry yet? We are! And when we're hungry for cheese, there's one dish that's more satisfying than any other: macaroni and cheese. Cheddaring is now the term for a method of dealing with the curds, though not only in Cheddar. Back when cows actually ate grass, they produced a more yellowy milk in spring and summer because of the beta carotenes in the grass.

Over the winter, they ate hay, which is dried grass. It has lost the beta carotenes, so the milk is paler. People saw the yellower cheese as being better, so cheese makers added colour to make the cheese look darker all year and fetch a higher price. In another version of this, cheese makers outside of Cheddar added colour to make their cheese more like the cheese from the well-fed cows of Cheddar.

Then, in a cheese maker's arms race, more colour was considered better until it ended up orange. Orange cheese became a purple cow, a way to be remarkable and distinct.