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Swiss cheese and its famous holes!
We have often seen several cheese varieties, particularly the Swiss ones with holes. If you remember that cheese which Jerry loves to gorge on, in the famous Tom and Jerry series, you will not fail to remember the holes in it! But why do cheese have holes? The mystery of Swiss cheese and its holes has been solved.
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The mystery solved
A Swiss agricultural institute discovered that tiny specks of hay are responsible for the famous holes in cheeses like Emmentaler or Appenzeller. As milk matures into cheese these "microscopically small hay particles" help create the holes in the traditional Swiss cheese varieties.
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What is Swiss cheese?
Swiss cheese is a generic name for several related varieties of medium-hard cheese that resemble Emmental cheese, which originated in Emmental, Switzerland. It has a savory, but not very sharp taste. Swiss cheese without eyes is known as 'blind'. Whereas the holes in cheese are called “eyes.”
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The hay theory
The government-funded Agroscope institute said in a statement that the transition from age-old milking methods in barns to fully-automated, industrial milling systems had caused holes to decline during the last 15 years. In a series of tests, scientists added different amounts of hay dust to the milk and discovered it allowed them to regulate the number of holes.
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How to make Swiss cheese?
Swiss cheese is made by adding cultures of the bacteria S. thermophilus, Lactobacillus and P. Shermani in cow’s milk. The resulting bacteria form curds in the milk, which are then pressed in large molds and soaked in a brine bath. The cheese is then stored at 72 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit where they will age, or ripen.
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How holes are formed in cheese?
P. shermani, releases carbon dioxide when it consumes the lactic acid; the waste product of Lactobacillus and S. Thermophilis and forms bubbles. The bubbles don't just disappear, they form little air pockets, resulting in the holes of the Swiss. The more the cheese ages, the bigger the bubbles get, leaving behind the holes. This fermentation process also creates the sweet and nutty flavor of the cheese.
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