Mild to sharp, has an appetizing nutty flavor, and a firm buttery texture, slightly crumbly. Light yellow to orange-colored. Most widely manufactured cheese in the world, originally English.

Like many cheeses, the color of cheddar is often modified by the use of food colorings. Annatto, extracted from the tropical achiote tree, is frequently used to give cheddar an orange color. The origins of this practice are clouded, but the three leading theories appear to be to allow the cheese to have a consistent color from batch to batch, to assist the purchaser in identifying the type of cheese when it is unlabelled, or to identify the cheese's region of origin

Used: Appetizers, sandwiches, sauces, on vegetables, in hot dishes, toasted sandwiches, grating, cheeseburgers, dessert