Photo: Mark Weinberg
There is a growing awareness around the quality of the foods that we eat. Prepared foods containing artificial additives and ingredients are being scrutinized more and more by consumers concerned about the potential health dangers associated with them. This has encouraged, in part, the introduction of more naturally-based food dyes. For years we have seen how carrots and spinach are used to colour pastas, now that approach is being applied to items such as fruit juices/sodas, pet treats and icing sugars. Suppliers, baking websites and cooking blogs are extolling the benefits of using natural sources to enhance the colour of the foods we consume. The website FOOD52 recommends the following ingredients to help bakers create healthier coloured icings for cookies, cakes and cupcakes:
PINK strawberries, raspberries
RED beets, tomato
ORANGE carrots, paprika, sweet potato
YELLOW saffron, turmeric
GREEN matcha, spinach
BLUE red cabbage + baking soda
RED blueberries, purple sweet potato
BROWN coffee, tea, cocoa
BLACK activated charcoal, squid Ink
As FOOD52 contributor, Erin Jeanne McDowell, reminds us, “One thing that natural food colors have, that commercial colors don’t, is taste.”