How to the holes get in swiss cheese?

Question

How to the holes get in swiss cheese?

Answer 1

Why does Swiss Cheese Have Holes?

Swiss cheese or "fromage Suisse" has holes in it due to the fermentation process which creates the cheese. Cheese is made by introducing bacteria to milk, which begins to curdle as the bacteria eat and produce lactic acid. Another byproduct of the digestion process is often carbon dioxide gas, which in some cheeses is trapped inside the rind, forming bubbles in the finished cheese product. Swiss cheese is the most well known for this, with some types of Swiss cheese having holes as large as walnuts.

Swiss cheese is made by adding Propionibacter shermani and other cultures to milk after it has been warmed. If the cheese in question is Swiss Emmental, the milk is not pasteurized. In the United States, Swiss cheese is usually made with pasteurized milk. The bacteria forms curds in the milk, which are pressed into heavy molds and briefly allowed to soak in a brine bath, forming a wheel of cheese. The brine bath forms a thick rind on the cheese, which is then placed into ripening caves to mature.

As Swiss cheese ages, the bacteria inside continue to eat away at the cheese. Propionibacter shermani produces carbon dioxide while it eats. In looser cheeses, the carbon dioxide would slowly move through the cheese and escape through the rind. Swiss cheese, however, is a densely packed cheese with a very thick rind. As a result, the gas cannot escape, forming bubbles instead. A briefly aged Swiss cheese will have smaller bubbles and a mild, buttery flavor. More mature Swiss cheese such as Emmentaler will have larger holes and a more assertive flavor. Both types are quite delicious.

Answer 2

There are a bunch of itty-bitty swiss gnomes that use mining equipment to make the holes.  Eons ago someone told tham that there was gold in swiss cheese.  They have been looking for it ever since.

I heard a nasty rumor that it is carbon dioxide that occurs during the aging of the cheese.

I like my story better.

Answer 3

they get into hole by mice biting into then!

Answer 4

while the cheese is still in batter form, some swiss guy farts into the tub of batter.  at least that is what i told my kids....and i am sticking to my story.