The term "Swiss cheese" is one used of any variety of
cheese
Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk (usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats or sheep). During prod ...
that resembles
Emmental cheese, a yellow,
medium-hard cheese that originated in the area around
Emmental, Switzerland. It is classified as a
Swiss-type or Alpine cheese. The term is
generic; it does not imply that the cheese is actually made in Switzerland. Some types of Swiss cheese have a distinctive appearance, as the blocks or rounds of the cheese are riddled with holes known as "
eyes
An eye is a sensory organ that allows an organism to perceive visual information. It detects light and converts it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons (neurones). It is part of an organism's visual system.
In higher organisms, the ey ...
". Cheese without eyes is known as "blind".
"Swiss cheese" is now produced in many countries, including the United States, Finland, Estonia, and Ireland. It is sometimes made with
pasteurized or
part-skim milk, unlike the original from Switzerland made with raw milk. The
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and producti ...
uses the terms Swiss cheese and Emmentaler cheese interchangeably. In Australia, both terms are used, along with Swiss-style cheese, in some cases differentiating the two. The term Swiss cheese is sometimes used in India, although it is also often referred to as Emmental.
Production
Three types of bacteria are used in the production of Swiss cheese: ''
Streptococcus thermophilus'', ''
Lactobacillus'' (''
L. helveticus'' or
''L. delbrueckii'' subsp. ''bulgaricus''), and ''
Propionibacterium'' (
''Propionibacterium freudenreichii'' subsp. ''shermani''). In a late stage of cheese production, the propionibacteria consume the
lactic acid excreted by the other bacteria and release
acetate
An acetate is a salt formed by the combination of acetic acid with a base (e.g. alkaline, earthy, metallic, nonmetallic, or radical base). "Acetate" also describes the conjugate base or ion (specifically, the negatively charged ion called ...
,
propionic acid
Propionic acid (, from the Greek language, Greek words πρῶτος : ''prōtos'', meaning "first", and πίων : ''píōn'', meaning "fat"; also known as propanoic acid) is a naturally occurring carboxylic acid with chemical formula . It is a ...
, and
carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalent bond, covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in a gas state at room temperature and at norma ...
gas. The carbon dioxide slowly forms the bubbles that develop the "eyes". The acetate and propionic acid give Swiss its nutty and sweet flavor. A hypothesis proposed by Swiss researchers in 2015 notes that particulate matter may also play a role in the holes' development and that modern sanitation, which eliminated debris such as hay dust in the milk, played a role in reduced hole size in Swiss cheeses, or even "blind cheese".
Historically, the holes were seen as a sign of imperfection and cheese makers originally tried to avoid them by pressing during production; the holes only became an identifier of the cheese in modern times.
In general, the larger the eyes in a Swiss cheese, the more pronounced its flavor because a longer
fermentation
Fermentation is a type of anaerobic metabolism which harnesses the redox potential of the reactants to make adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and organic end products. Organic molecules, such as glucose or other sugars, are catabolized and reduce ...
period gives the bacteria more time to act. This poses a problem, because cheese with large eyes does not slice well and comes apart in mechanical slicers. As a result, U.S. industry regulators have reduced the minimum eye size with which Swiss cheese can receive the Grade A stamp.
Typical annual production of Swiss cheese in the United States is approximately .
Variants
Baby Swiss and Lacy Swiss are two varieties of American Swiss cheeses. Both have small holes and a mild flavor. Baby Swiss is made from whole milk, and Lacy Swiss is made from low fat milk. Baby Swiss was developed in the mid-1960s outside of
Charm, Ohio, by the Guggisberg Cheese Company, owned by Alfred Guggisberg.
See also
*
Maasdam cheese
*
List of Swiss cheeses
References
External links
Swiss Cheese Nichemicrobewiki.kenyon.edu
biology.clc.uc.edu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swiss Cheese
American cheeses
Cow's-milk cheeses
Cheese with eyes