Why Is So Much Cheese Bright Yellow?

Hundreds of years ago, if you had bought cheese from a market, it would have been yellow. Not the bright orange-yellow of cheeseburgers or Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, but a more subtle yellow hue. That color was entirely natural, and it was the result of cows, especially breeds such as Jersey and Guernsey, grazing on grass rich in beta-carotene.

In the 17th century, though, things began to change. Not surprisingly, money was involved. Cheese producers started skimming the yellow-tinted cream off the top of milk before making cheese, and selling it separately or turning it into butter. To replicate the natural yellow shade in white, lower-fat cheese, they added a variety of natural dyes, most notably a seed-derived dye known as annatto, which is still widely used today. Dying cheese also ensures that products have a uniform color.

These days, there's no discernible difference in taste between white cheese and yellow cheese (though some say annatto has a slightly sweet, nutty flavor), unless they've been matured or smoked.

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