Why does Swiss cheese have holes?
81 comments
·October 28, 2025chris_va
> Properly formed eyes are a mark of quality.
Except when I asked someone who makes cheese in Switzerland, they told me almost the opposite (and mostly that they export the junk cheese to the US and keep the good stuff).
As an aside, what are the odds this article was written by AI? It has that feel (minus random bolding and bullet points).
rootusrootus
Why on Earth would they intentionally export only their garbage cheese? Then the world will only know them for that.
The holes in modern Emmental cheese are created intentionally. In Switzerland the additive used to create them is forbidden. [0]
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmental_cheese#Natural_holes_...
JumpCrisscross
> Why on Earth would they intentionally export only their garbage cheese?
This usually happens when one population is discerning and the other is not.
rootusrootus
I don't know what to make of that statement. It is arrogant, at least. Are you trashing just the 340 million people in the US with this comment, or everybody not-Swiss?
helicone
because their garbage cheese is still miles better than what other people make, and there's no cheese market large enough and rich enough to pay them what their top cheese is worth, so its worth more just to keep it for themselves
rootusrootus
> there's no cheese market large enough and rich enough to pay them what their top cheese is worth
That sounds like the market expressing the collective opinion that their cheese is not miles better than what other people make.
On a related note, the best seems to be considered Emmentaler AOC, and it does not seem especially difficult to purchase outside of Switzerland.
eru
> because their garbage cheese is still miles better than what other people make, [...]
Some other people, maybe. But not all other people.
palata
"Swiss cheese" is not... a "Swiss" cheese. It's just the name of a cheese, but that cheese does not come from Switzerland.
JumpCrisscross
> that cheese does not come from Switzerland
The canton of Bern makes an absolutely excellent Emmantaler. It’s the original Swiss cheese as brought to America by 19th-century Swiss immigrants to Wisconsin.
JumpCrisscross
> they told me almost the opposite
For Emmantaler? Or cheese in general?
bryanrasmussen
I have heard that Denmark exports their best pigs and leaves the second best for home. Not sure why that should be any truer than what you heard regarding Switzerland and their strategy, but they seem to represent two differing strategies about how to best profit from strong points, it would be nice to figure if either is the dominant one.
Perhaps we can ask Italy what they do with tomatoes and parmigiano.
gus_massa
But ... why only a few big holes? Sometimes "fresh cheese" develop a lot of small holes (and a strong flavor), but no big holes. Why big holes?
riffraff
Many small holes collapsing into a few large ones, perhaps? You can sometimes see where two holes merged.
gus_massa
That's a good idea, but if the holes collapse I expect more variation in size. My guess is that the CO2 diffuses until it finds a nearby hole.
Did someone put a whole cheese in MNR to track the holes? (I guess an ultrasound image device is cheaper. Is it possible to use a CT adding contrast to the cheese?)
TheAdamist
Havarti has a lot of small holes, but its a different kind of cheese
ofalkaed
Baby Swiss and Lacey Swiss are small hole varieties.
deadbolt
I don't believe Baby Swiss is actually a variety of Swiss (Emmental) cheese, rather than a completely different cheese. IIRC Baby Swiss was invented in America and uses a different process.
I am not familiar with Lacey Swiss so no opinion on that one.
kleiba
The term "Swiss cheese" is a constant source of amusement for people from Europe... you know, like, there is only one type of cheese made in Switzerland...
criemen
In German, "Swiss cheese" is a term that's well known, and doesn't count that kind of amusement.
For example, you could say that something "looks like swiss cheese" when it has a lot of holes in it, like very old clothing. It's often used slightly ironic, but that's not due to what you state.
NoPicklez
Well of course not, but at some point it became an icon. Similar to eating a Danish pastry, like the Danish only made one type of pastry...
Of course cheese with holes in it isn't the only type of cheese they make
dylan604
I'd rather be known for Swiss cheese than American cheese. At least Swiss is actually cheese and not a cheese product. American cheese is nasty. It baffles me people not only eat it, but also like it
542458
Not all American cheese is “cheese product”. American cheese is, broadly speaking, “normal” cheese blended with emulsifiers and additives. The deli-style ones have minimal additives and are still legally real cheese.
gerdesj
There are largely three types of cheese in the US: Swiss, American and Cheddar. I live near to Cheddar (Somerset, UK) but I'm not going to get too outraged.
All countries, without exception, do something unpleasant to an ingredient or dish that the rest of the world will cry foul over. It is the way of things.
creddit
American cheese is just cheese with an emulsifier, sodium citrate, added that makes it so that it doesn’t break when melted.
At most it adds a slight amount of acidity and makes for a very attractive melting property. There’s not really anything disgusting about it for most people because most people find its melting properties to be a positive.
Hating American cheese is an affect people adopt for the same reason people adopt an affect of hating mayo: certain cultural elements tell them to.
paradox460
As is "American cheese"
eru
It's like British English, or Chinese cuisine.
jahbrewski
Call me naive, but honestly never made the connection between swiss cheese and Switzerland.
netsharc
I live in the country, and when I went to USA I found it amusing that a sandwich's ingredients include "Swiss". (No mention of "cheese")
sojournerc
It's like saying "cheddar". Cheese is assumed
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JumpCrisscross
> honestly never made the connection between swiss cheese and Switzerland
Swiss cheese usually refers to Emmentaler. It comes from the Emme Valley, in Bern canton. It’s delicious and one of the OG three of Depression-era fondue. (Gruyère and Appenzeller. Vacherin can come too.)
It’s called Swiss cheese because Wisconsin has a sizable 19th century ethnically Swiss diaspora. (Wisconsin also has a diaspora from Parma. It’s suspected the soft cheese they make is closer to what Parmesan was before WWII than Parmigiano Reggiano, though I personally find the latter tastier.)
loloquwowndueo
It usually means Gruyère cheese.
athenot
Only in France. For some reason, the names for Gruyère and Emmental got swapped there.
dragonwriter
As noted in the article, it is the cheese internationally known as Emmental, not Gruyère. Both Swiss and Gruyere cheese are regulated food names in the US Swiss (Emmentaler is an alternative name in the regs, but is a label of geographic origin in Switzerland) is defined at 21 CFR § 133.195, Gruyere at 21 CFR § 133.149.
kgwgk
Which has no holes. (The cheese known as Gruyère in Switzerland, I mean.)
JumpCrisscross
French-style Gruyère can has holes. (Swiss does not.)
bigiain
We must immediately start constructing all critical safety systems out of Gruyere. If there are no holes, then it's impossible for the holes to line up.
loloquwowndueo
Well - sure. Ever heard the phrase “contrary to popular belief”? :)
ofalkaed
American Swiss cheese developed from Emmental cheese.
riffraff
It is odd, but people often confuse Emmenthaler and Gruyere.
Even in Italian (just across the border!) it was not uncommon to hear expressions like "full of holes like groviera", and it seems in French it's the same based on the existence of this Wikipedia page https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradoxe_du_fromage_%C3%A0_tro...
Language is just strange.
not4uffin
As a kid, I was told it was due to rats and other critters getting into the cheese.
I’d then proceed to wonder why no adults thought to throw it out, much less eat the stuff.
sixtyj
For those who are interested, Taste Atlas has a very huge list of cheese.
xg15
TIL "Swiss cheese" is apparently a specific brand of cheese in the US and not just cheese from Switzerland.
JumpCrisscross
> "Swiss cheese" is apparently a specific brand of cheese in the US
Type. And there are lots of non-Swiss Emmantaler producers.
shevy-java
Because the damn swiss folks really want to sell more cheese, without actually producing more cheese!
So the proper way is to cut half the cheese out, say that holes are NECESSARY and IMPORTANT - and then sell twice as much as before. They are a genius people.
mark-r
Isn't cheese usually sold by weight? So your theory, erm, has holes in it.
rootusrootus
Fun fact - in Switzerland the holes are not permitted. Bonus fact - Switzerland imports more cheese than it exports.
mattmaroon
Like a White Castle burger!
amelius
Why does bread have holes?
mikkupikku
I believe bread has been holey ever since the Last Supper.
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Tom Scott on why Swiss Cheese was losing its holes (spoiler: the process became too sanitised - reintroducing impurities solved the problem).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evV05QeSjAw