Colour news
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Colours of food and drink

Colour added to what is eaten and drunk.

FamilyRedOrangeYellowGreenTurquoiseBluePurplePinkBrownWhiteGreyBlackGold
KindBasic colourNamed shadePigmentDyeColour named from natureTraditional colourNational or team colourHeraldic colourStandard colourScreen colour
Made fromMineral or earthPlantAnimalSyntheticLight only (no pigment)
#FF0000 Red A primary colour seen in light, pigment, and tradition worldwideBasic colour 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States +5 Yellow Turmeric A golden yellow dye and spice from the rhizome of a tropical plantColour named from nature 路 馃嚠馃嚦 India +5 White Zinc oxide A white inorganic powder used in pigments, ointments, ceramics and electronicsPigment 路 馃嚠馃嚦 India +2 Red Carmine A deep red pigment made from cochineal insects, once prized across continentsPigment 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France +2 Red Rubia A group of plants whose roots once dyed cloth and paint a lasting redColour named from nature 路 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt +5 Yellow Tartrazine A synthetic lemon yellow dye widely used in food, cosmetics and medicinesDye #DC143C Crimson A deep red with a hint of purple, once made from insectsNamed shade 路 馃嚦馃嚨 Nepal Black Carbon black A deep black pigment and filler made by burning carbon-rich materials with little airPigment Orange Annatto A yellow-orange dye and flavour from the seeds of the achiote treeDye 路 馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico +5 Black Bone char A deep black pigment and filter made by charring animal bonesPigment Purple and violet Mauveine A purple dye first made by accident in 1856, launching the synthetic dye industryDye Brown Catechu A brown plant extract used as a dye, tannin, and preservativeColour named from nature 路 馃嚡馃嚨 Japan +2 Green Scheele's green A yellowish-green pigment once prized for its brilliance, now infamous for its toxicityPigment Red Lac啶侧ぞ啶曕啶粪ぞ A red resin secreted by insects and used as dye, varnish and shellacColour named from nature 路 馃嚠馃嚦 India +5 #FA5053 Strawberry A bright red colour inspired by the ripe strawberry fruitNamed shade 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France +4 White Titanium dioxide A brilliant white pigment made from titanium, used in paints, food and sunscreenPigment 路 馃嚚馃嚦 China +5 Brown Iron oxide Earthy pigments made from iron and oxygen, found in nature and used since prehistoryPigment Green Glauconite A soft green mineral used as a pigment and in fertilisersColour named from nature 路 馃嚙馃嚪 Brazil +2 Red Dragon's blood A deep red resin from several plants, used as pigment, dye and varnish since ancient timesColour named from nature 路 馃嚠馃嚦 India +3 Red Azo dye A large group of synthetic dyes with vivid reds, oranges, and yellowsDye Red Betalain Red and yellow plant pigments found in beets, bougainvillea, and cactiPigment White Lithopone A white pigment made from barium sulfate and zinc sulfidePigment Brown Juglone A plant compound that gives deep brown-orange colour to cloth, ink and foodPigment Red Polish cochinealczerwiec polski A crimson dye once vital to Poland, made from a native scale insectDye 路 馃嚨馃嚤 Poland +5 Black Cephalopod ink A dark liquid from sea creatures, once used in pens and now in Mediterranean and Japanese foodColour named from nature 路 馃嚡馃嚨 Japan +2 Yellow Anthoxanthin A group of plant pigments ranging from white to yellow, used in foods and dyesPigment Brown Bryoria fremontii A dark brown lichen used for food, medicine, and dye by First Nations in North AmericaColour named from nature 路 馃嚪馃嚭 Russia Red Wine colour The range of colours seen in wines, from pale yellow to deep red and tawnyNamed shade 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France Blue Blue pigment Pigments that give blue colour to paints, inks, and art from ancient times to todayPigment 路 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt +5 Red Red pigment Pigments made from minerals, plants, and insects to create red colours in artPigment 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France +4 Yellow Saffron夭毓賮乇丕賳 A golden-yellow colour from the dried stigmas of the saffron crocus flowerColour named from nature 路 馃嚠馃嚪 Iran +5 Purple and violet Mangosteen purple The deep reddish-purple of ripe mangosteen fruit rindColour named from nature 路 馃嚥馃嚲 Malaysia +4 Yellow Safflower A thistle-like plant whose petals yield red and yellow dyesColour named from nature 路 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt +4 Yellow Riboflavin A yellow-orange vitamin used as a food colour and supplementPigment Brown Caramel A golden-brown colour and sweet made by heating sugar until it brownsNamed shade 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France +2 Orange Annatto A natural orange-red dye from the seeds of a tropical shrubColour named from nature 路 馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico +5 Red Tormentil red A red dye for leather made from the root of the tormentil plantDye 路 馃嚭馃嚘 Ukraine Orange Carotene The orange pigment found in carrots and many fruits and vegetablesPigment Blue Butterfly pea blue A vivid blue from the butterfly pea flower, used in Asian food and drinkColour named from nature 路 馃嚠馃嚛 Indonesia +5 Red Lycopene The deep red pigment found in tomatoes and many red fruitsPigment 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States +2 Red Rose madder A red dye and pigment from the roots of a climbing plantDye 路 馃嚠馃嚦 India +4 Yellow Curcumin The bright yellow pigment found in turmeric rootPigment Yellow Lutein A yellow-orange plant pigment used in food and supplementsPigment 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States +2 Brown Catechu A reddish-brown dye and extract from the heartwood of Senegalia catechuDye 路 馃嚠馃嚦 India +3 Yellow Tagetes patula dye A golden yellow dye and spice made from French marigold flowersColour named from nature 路 馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico +3 Red Astaxanthin A red pigment found in algae, seafood shells, and used in animal feedPigment Orange Sunset yellow FCF A synthetic orange-yellow dye used in food, cosmetics, and medicinesDye 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States +1 Orange Flavin mononucleotide An orange-red food colour and biomolecule made from vitamin B2Pigment 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States
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Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly palette

Every Monday: seven colours you may not know, what the world is wearing this week, and one idea about colour.