Originally from Somerset, England, cheddar is one of the country’s oldest cheeses, beloved all over the world for its pungent, sharp flavor. Meanwhile, Colby cheese is an American cheese, but just like cheddar, Colby is often dyed yellow with annatto and has a semisolid to hard texture, which makes it easy to confuse the two.

The biggest difference between these cheeses lies in the production; traditional cheddar cheese begins with adding in a starter culture to warm milk, mixing in rennet to separate the curds from the whey, and then draining the whey. These curds are heated and molded into slabs, and then the cheddar is aged for a certain amount of time.

The inventor of Colby cheese, Joseph Steinwand, produced curds in a similar way to cheddar, but washed them in cold water instead of heating them, which creates a sweeter, more mild, less acidic cheese. After pressing the curds, Colby cheese is aged for one to three months, while cheddar needs to be aged for three months minimum.

While cheddars have always come in many styles, these days you can also find multiple types of Colby in different colors and flavors, like spicy Colby-Jack. Unlike hard cheddars, Colby's high moisture content makes it a great cheese for melting on top of burgers, tacos, and fajitas, and it also pairs nicely with apples and pears on a charcuterie board.