Creme Egg fans will probably already know that Cadbury, the brand behind the iconic treat, changed the recipe in 2015.
But you might not know that the recipe contains a completely unexpected ingredient ― and it’s responsible for the orange-y hue of the sugary “yolk.”
Despite what you might think, both the white and the orange part of the Creme egg are made from the same mixture.
But to achieve that eggy look, Cadbury told The Daily Star that they add an unexpected ingredient to make the orange part stand out.
What is it?
After their visit to the Cadbury HQ in Bournville, the Daily Star were told that the secret to the yellow tinge was a familiar spice ― paprika, or at least, an extract made from it.
Of course, you shouldn’t be able to taste the ingredient ― it’s only just present enough to colour the fondant.
A peek at the ingredients list reveals that the product contains “Sugar, milk, glucose syrup, cocoa butter, invert sugar syrup, whey powder (from milk), cocoa mass, vegetable fats (palm, shea), emulsifier (E442), dried eg white, flavourings, colour (paprika extract).”
Wild times, right?
Funnily enough, this happens to real eggs, too
An investigation found that real-life eggs can sometimes experience the paprika treatment, too, and for the exact same reason as Cadbury’s use it.
The bright, orange-y yolk of some pricier eggs, which some customers associate with higher-quality produce, sometimes comes from chickens that have been fed paprika to create the hue.
I wasn’t the only person who was surprised
“What the hell is paprika extract doing in a Creme Egg?!” one X user commented under a post about the topic.
“The mind boggles...” another X user replied.
“It’s for colouring ― I suspect it’s used for the yolk” yet another commenter said (okay, some of you are smarter than me).
Either way though, I still think the treats are cracking (so, so sorry).