The Truth About Caramel Color
Caramel color or caramel coloring is a water-soluble food coloring. It is made by heat treatment of carbohydrates, in general in the presence of acids, alkalis, or salts, in a process called caramelization. It is more fully oxidized than caramel candy, and has an odor of burnt sugar and a somewhat bitter taste. In general, the pigments used by Greek and Roman painters included the following: Red Colours Yellow red was obtained from the naturally occurring arsenic compound Realgar. For bright red, artists used a material known as "Dragons Blood". Described by Roman historians as the blood collected after the fighting of dragons and elephants, this was a common colourant until the modern era. It came from a gum resin obtained from a tree in South East Asia. But the most highly prized red pigment of the time, ten times more expensive than red ochre, was Vermilion. Known to the Romans as Minium, this orange-red hue was produced from a mineral ore called ...
