HN Reader

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

TIL "Swiss cheese" is apparently a specific brand of cheese in the US and not just cheese from Switzerland.

> 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).

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.

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...

> In the U.S., we call it “Swiss” cheese, while in Switzerland, it’s known as Emmental.

What? I struggle to see how this sentence makes any sense. The two products can both have holes, I guess? But grocery store Swiss cheese in the US is a waxy bland cheese product with a slight tang, whereas Emmentaler is complex, funky and quite assertive by comparison. I doubt the fans of either product love the other.

I love that the first sentence of the article has the simple answer, and as you read more, you get more detail. The opposite of the "click bait" trend.

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?

I believe one of the first publications explaining the phenomenon dates back to 2015. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S095869461... It details the formation of the holes, their size, etc. I remember sending it at the time as a contribution here, thinking the topic was worth interest. Unfortunately, it fell through the cracks. I had also submitted it for approval to the Ig Nobel committee (it diverges somewhat, strictly speaking, from the philosophy of the prize). I received a reply saying it would be reviewed.

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.

We add holes for USA only, because 39% of taxes on our exportations.

For those who are interested, Taste Atlas has a very huge list of cheese.

https://www.tasteatlas.com/cheese

It's because of bacterial farts.

This makes me want to revive my old Curd Collective app.

It does not. Swiss cheese does not have holes.

TIL that what Americans call "swiss cheese" is what Europeans call Emmental or Emmentaler -- or at least Emmentaler style.

Swiss cheese have holes so the swiss dwarfs can hide in them.

Why does bread have holes?

Another fact about Emmentaler cheese is that it has a relative low salt content compared to other cheeses.

Swiss army dual uses cheese as target practice?