Vegetable
Orange Cauliflower
A tier
Orange cauliflower curds hold beta-carotene that tints them cheddar-gold and adds a faintly sweeter, richer roast flavour than pale white types. Colour holds better through cooking than purple anthocyanins, so baked and pureed dishes stay warmly tinted. Heads are otherwise handled like white cauliflower—cool growth, timely harvest, protect from sun yellowing (though orange is the goal pigment). Excellent for purees, mac-and-cheese style bakes, and roasting where gold colour sells the dish without artificial dye. Flavour remains cauliflower-first, not squash. Do not over-steam into waterlogged curd.
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Grading systems
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History
A Canadian orange cauliflower mutation became the basis for commercial orange lines.
Orange cauliflower reached wider US retail under specialty colour programmes.
Chefs used orange cauliflower puree as a naturally coloured side.
Orange, purple, and white mixed packs became common specialty offerings.