Swiss cheese (North America)

Swiss cheese
Swiss cheese
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The term "Swiss cheese" is one used of any variety of cheese 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". Cheese without eyes is known as "blind".[1]

"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.[2] The United States Department of Agriculture uses the terms Swiss cheese and Emmentaler cheese interchangeably.[3][4] In Australia, both terms are used, along with Swiss-style cheese, in some cases differentiating the two.[5][6] The term Swiss cheese is sometimes used in India,[7] although it is also often referred to as Emmental.

  1. ^ The Nibble. Cheese Glossary. See the asterisked footnote at the very bottom of that page Thenibble.com
  2. ^ Everything you need to know about Swiss cheese by Erica Marcus, Newsday, July 23, 2014, accessed March 25, 2020
  3. ^ Swiss Cheese, Emmentaler Cheese Grades and Standards, U.S. Department of Agriculture, accessed March 25, 2020
  4. ^ How to Buy Cheese, U.S. Department of Agriculture (1971), p. 15
  5. ^ How to Make Swiss Cheese, Country Brewer, accessed March 25, 2020
  6. ^ Valerie Pearson. Home Cheese Making in Australia: Simple Recipes You Can Make at Home, 2nd edition, unpaged, Chapter 4, "Eye Cheeses"
  7. ^ Why do some types of cheese have holes, Times of India, July 13, 2019, accessed March 25, 2020