Cochineal - A Natural Red Dye

A current exhibit at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, AZ, provides a great education on the source of one of several natural red dyes that has been used for centuries. You may be more familiar with madder red dye which is derived from plant roots, but a tiny beetle, the cochineal, is the source of another red dye used in many textiles. The insect feeds on the Prickly Pear cactus and produces carminic acid which is extracted and mixed to create the dye called carmine.
According to wikipedia, the dye was used in Central America in the 15th century for coloring fabrics and in fact, it became an important export during the Colonial period.

Prickly Pear

This exhibit, however, notes that the dye was produced as early as the 2nd century in Mexico and South America.

Various shades of red, deep crimson, purple and even black are possible.

A lovely variety of items dyed with cochineal (co shin ee' al) are beautifully displayed

 Historic Navaho textiles

The dye is used for many things besides textiles; notably in foods and cosmetics.

 You may see it listed if you check nutrition labels carefully.

In 2012 vegetarians became upset when they heard  that 'crushed bugs' were used to color various product at Starbucks.Learn more here if you are not squeamish. 

Starbucks has stopped using the dye in their products but it is a natural product and as such as become more popular again for use in foods due to the uncertainty of all the artificial additives in foods.

See the  museum website for more information on this and other current exhibits and be sure to visit it if you are ever in the Phoenix area.

Click here for more on natural red dyes.

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Another peek inside the Heard:

 Pictorial Navaho Textiles