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Swiss Cheese / Emmental Cheese

Emmentaler, Emmenthal, or Emmental cheese is a Swiss cheese. It is simply known as Swiss cheese in the US. The cheese originally comes from the Emme valley in the canton of Bern. Unlike other cheese varieties, the denomination "Emmental" is not protected. Hence, Emmental of other origin, especially from France and Bavaria, is widely available. Even Finland is an exporter of Emmental cheese. Emmental is a yellow, rather hard cheese, with characteristic large holes. It has a piquant, but not really sharp taste. It features prominently in the cuisine of the United States where it is the standard cheese for use in the preparation of sandwiches, albeit often substituted by cheaper cheese. In cooking, it is often put on top of dishes which are then put in the oven to let the cheese melt and become golden-brown and crusty.

Three types of bacteria are used in the production of Emmentaler cheese: Streptococcus thermophilis, Lactobacillus, and Propionibacter shermani. In a late stage of cheese production, P. shermani consumes the lactic acid excreted by the other bacteria, and releases carbon dioxide gas, which slowly forms the bubbles that make up the eyes. Swiss cheese without eyes is known as "blind".

In general, the larger the eyes in a Swiss cheese, the more pronounced its flavor. This is because the same conditions that lead to large eyes - longer aging or higher temperatures - also give the acting bacteria and enzymes more time to produce flavor. This poses a problem for makers of pre-sliced Swiss cheese, the most popular category in the United States. Cheese with large eyes doesn't slice well, sometimes coming apart in mechanical slicers. This costs time and money and is one reason why US manufacturers usually produce a product less aged and flavorful than imported cheeses of the same style

The quintessential image of Swiss cheese, Emmental, with its huge marble-sized holes, is now an instantly familiar cheese around the world. First made in the Emme valley near Bern, it has since been adopted by many countries. Embedded in most people's minds as the source of all the mayhem in cartoons such as Tom and Jerry, it has been known to generations of children as "mouse cheese".

Probably the largest cheese made, some reach 130kg in weight and measure a metre across. Emmental was first mentioned in 1542, when it was used as payment to compensate the victims of a fire in the town of Langehthal. Initially the holes in the cheese caused scepticism amongst cheese merchants, but soon the cheese became one of Switzerland's most important exports.

Although marketed all over the world as Swiss cheese, the genuine Emmental is made only with unpasteurised milk on small farms and dairies. It is one of the so-called 'cooked' cheeses, along with other Swiss cheeses such as Appenzeller and Gruyere. In Switzerland 1000 litres of milk go to make one 80kg cheese. Because of the large quantities of milk used to make just one cheese it is usual for groups of farmers to work together as co-operatives.

The evening milk is mixed with the morning milk and warmed in enormous copper vats known as Kessi. Curd cutting is done using a cheese harp. The cut curds are then cooked in the whey, wrapped in cheesecloth and transported to a wooden hoop to drain. Once pressed and turned several times the cheeses are taken to the maturing rooms to ripen. This is when the famous bubbles appear. They are formed by the gas produced by a special culture of bacteria. Many environmental variables determine the size, shape and number of the bubbles. Only the experienced cheese maker is able to determine the exact set of conditions for an even spread of the right sized holes. Swiss cheese-makers have been known to quote "Anyone can make the holes, but only the Swiss can make the cheese".

External Links

SwissWorld.org
Hard cheese, soft cheese, cottage cheese, cheese made in mountain chalets, cheese made in valley factories, cheese shaved into rosettes, cheese boxed in red pine, cheese melted in wine to make fondue, hot cheese dribbled over potatoes to make raclette... There's much more to Swiss cheese than making holes!

BBC Food Recipes - Swiss Cheese Fondue
A classic Swiss recipe. Use flavoured breads like foccacia, olive breads or breadsticks and, for a different flavoured fondue, use other cheeses or a mix of mozzarella, dolcelatte and parmesan.

Cheese Making for Beginners
Cheese making is theoretically a science, but we also need to appreciate that it is an art. While cheese making instructions often appear simple, there are skills and sensitivities which must be developed for successful cheese making. I strongly suggest that you master the following projects in sequence before you progress to more difficult cheeses. As an avid homesteader, I strive to keep the ingredients for these recipes relatively easily obtained from your local supermarket and to use the equipment commonly found in the kitchen.

Homecooking - Swiss Cheese Recipes
Swiss cheese is described as pale yellow in color with large, scattered holes, and having a slightly nutty flavor. The fermentation process causes gas to expand within the cheese, causing large bubbles which become holes.