4 ms·

All orange cheese is artificially colored (even in the UK) and has been for centuries. It's mostly annatto now. Historically it was things like beet or carrot j

All orange cheese is artificially colored (even in the UK) and has been for centuries. It's mostly annatto now. Historically it was things like beet or carrot juice. Natural cheese at most has a yellowish color (like butter, though a lot of that is also colored -- and again has been for a very long time). "Cheddaring" is a process (most famously used in the Cheddar region of England, but not exclusive to there), referring to kneading salt into the raw cheese curds. It's not a protected designation, nor is there any real difference between the way cheddar cheese is made in England and the way it's made in other countries.

Kon-Peki 3y ago
This is the requirement to be labeled as "cheddar cheese" in the US: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-133/subpart-B/section-133.113 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-B... One or more of the clotting enzymes specified in paragraph (b)(2) of this section is added to set the dairy ingredients to a semisolid mass. The mass is so cut, stirred, and heated with continued stirring, as to promote and regulate the separation of whey and curd. The whey is drained off, and the curd is matted into a cohesive mass. The mass is cut into slabs, which are so piled and handled as to promote the drainage of whey and the development of acidity. The slabs are then cut into pieces, which may be rinsed by sprinkling or pouring water over them, with free and continuous drainage; but the duration of such rinsing is so limited that only the whey on the surface of such pieces is removed. The curd is salted, stirred, further drained, and pressed into forms.
- Turing_Machine 3y ago
  So... the cheddar process, with much commonality with the way that any cheese anywhere is made? And?
  - Kon-Peki 3y ago
    And what? I've had cheddar cheese in the UK. I've had cheddar cheese in the US that was imported from Cheddar England. I've had cheddar cheese in the US that was made in the US. I have absolutely no idea what all the hand-wringing is about. What's wrong with American cheddar? Is there some sub-par brand out there that is sold in the majority of grocery stores in coastal America but not in the grocery stores in middle America? Are we just up in arms because some brands add some coloring to it?
    - plorkyeran 3y ago
      AFAICT non-Americans are confused by "cheese products" like Kraft Singles and think that that is what we think cheese is, rather than being well known as not cheese (and most people think is _less_ like cheese than it actually is). If you're not used to seeing "cheddar flavored cheese product" and don't look too closely you can confuse it for "cheddar cheese" and quite reasonably be pretty horrified.
      - Kon-Peki 3y ago
        > non-Americans are confused by "cheese products" like Kraft Singles and think that that is what we think cheese is, rather than being well known as not cheese Just to be clear to non-Americans, we don't think that "cheese products" are real cheese. There are a number of welfare programs that help low-income Americans buy food; for example WIC [1]. If you take your WIC card to a grocery store and scan it in, the grocery store computer system will refuse to sell you "cheese products". You are not allowed to use government money to buy fake cheese! The computer will beep at you, the store clerk will say "sorry, you can't buy this, it's not real cheese", you will be embarrassed, and you will never, ever, ever make that mistake again! There are enough people who buy that stuff (or else nobody would manufacture it). But it isn't because they are confused and think it is cheese. [1] https://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/about-wic https://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/about-wic
OnlyMortal 3y ago
Cheddar isn’t orange. You might be thinking of Red Leicester in the UK. Having lived in the US, the cheddar there isn’t the same. I’d offer that I never had good cheese in the US outside of imported stuff.
- bookofjoe 3y ago
  I stumbled onto Red Leicester recently and was gobsmacked by how good it is.
  - ompogUe 3y ago
    Me too! It was at it's "best before" date, with 50% off the price, so, why not? Wow!
- deadlydose 3y ago
  Sounds like you didn't get out much. Sometimes I wonder if it's a joke that I haven't been let in on, or just willful ignorance. I hear it not just with cheese, but also bread, beer, chocolate, etc. High quality versions of every single one of those can be found with _minimal_ effort. You have to deliberately choose not to notice all the breweries, bakeries, dairies, and chocolatiers. "You can't get good ____ in the US!" Which might be true if you only ever shop at a supermarket or your only exposure to food in the US is a meme, Hollywood production, or the crappy nonsensical 'American' aisles you have in your respective countries.
  - OnlyMortal 3y ago
    I lived in Delray Beach in Florida. The only choices at the time (2001) were Publix, which was poor, and Crown Liquor, which was where I bought bread. Wholefoods wasn’t good. As a beer drinker, Heineken was the only beer I’d buy (note I lived in NL) though there was a microbrewery by the Boca mall that was ok. I also lived in BE so I’ve experience with chocolate. I am English though. At the time, Godiva was considered good in the US.
- Turing_Machine 3y ago

Kon-Peki 3y ago

This is the requirement to be labeled as "cheddar cheese" in the US: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-133/subpart-B/section-133.113 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-B... One or more of the clotting enzymes specified in paragraph (b)(2) of this section is added to set the dairy ingredients to a semisolid mass. The mass is so cut, stirred, and heated with continued stirring, as to promote and regulate the separation of whey and curd. The whey is drained off, and the curd is matted into a cohesive mass. The mass is cut into slabs, which are so piled and handled as to promote the drainage of whey and the development of acidity. The slabs are then cut into pieces, which may be rinsed by sprinkling or pouring water over them, with free and continuous drainage; but the duration of such rinsing is so limited that only the whey on the surface of such pieces is removed. The curd is salted, stirred, further drained, and pressed into forms.

Turing_Machine 3y ago
So... the cheddar process, with much commonality with the way that any cheese anywhere is made? And?
- Kon-Peki 3y ago
  And what? I've had cheddar cheese in the UK. I've had cheddar cheese in the US that was imported from Cheddar England. I've had cheddar cheese in the US that was made in the US. I have absolutely no idea what all the hand-wringing is about. What's wrong with American cheddar? Is there some sub-par brand out there that is sold in the majority of grocery stores in coastal America but not in the grocery stores in middle America? Are we just up in arms because some brands add some coloring to it?
  - plorkyeran 3y ago
    AFAICT non-Americans are confused by "cheese products" like Kraft Singles and think that that is what we think cheese is, rather than being well known as not cheese (and most people think is _less_ like cheese than it actually is). If you're not used to seeing "cheddar flavored cheese product" and don't look too closely you can confuse it for "cheddar cheese" and quite reasonably be pretty horrified.
    - Kon-Peki 3y ago
      > non-Americans are confused by "cheese products" like Kraft Singles and think that that is what we think cheese is, rather than being well known as not cheese Just to be clear to non-Americans, we don't think that "cheese products" are real cheese. There are a number of welfare programs that help low-income Americans buy food; for example WIC [1]. If you take your WIC card to a grocery store and scan it in, the grocery store computer system will refuse to sell you "cheese products". You are not allowed to use government money to buy fake cheese! The computer will beep at you, the store clerk will say "sorry, you can't buy this, it's not real cheese", you will be embarrassed, and you will never, ever, ever make that mistake again! There are enough people who buy that stuff (or else nobody would manufacture it). But it isn't because they are confused and think it is cheese. [1] https://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/about-wic https://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/about-wic

OnlyMortal 3y ago

Cheddar isn’t orange. You might be thinking of Red Leicester in the UK. Having lived in the US, the cheddar there isn’t the same. I’d offer that I never had good cheese in the US outside of imported stuff.

bookofjoe 3y ago
I stumbled onto Red Leicester recently and was gobsmacked by how good it is.
- ompogUe 3y ago
  Me too! It was at it's "best before" date, with 50% off the price, so, why not? Wow!
deadlydose 3y ago
Sounds like you didn't get out much. Sometimes I wonder if it's a joke that I haven't been let in on, or just willful ignorance. I hear it not just with cheese, but also bread, beer, chocolate, etc. High quality versions of every single one of those can be found with _minimal_ effort. You have to deliberately choose not to notice all the breweries, bakeries, dairies, and chocolatiers. "You can't get good ____ in the US!" Which might be true if you only ever shop at a supermarket or your only exposure to food in the US is a meme, Hollywood production, or the crappy nonsensical 'American' aisles you have in your respective countries.
- OnlyMortal 3y ago
  I lived in Delray Beach in Florida. The only choices at the time (2001) were Publix, which was poor, and Crown Liquor, which was where I bought bread. Wholefoods wasn’t good. As a beer drinker, Heineken was the only beer I’d buy (note I lived in NL) though there was a microbrewery by the Boca mall that was ok. I also lived in BE so I’ve experience with chocolate. I am English though. At the time, Godiva was considered good in the US.
Turing_Machine 3y ago