Swiss Cheese in Switzerland


This is one of the big ones. You've heard of this Swiss Cheese thing. It's dead famous. From childhood you've speculated about how the holes got there (was it rats gnawing the holes, are the other stories true?!).

I'd love to leave that mystery hanging but I don't think that's really how this blog works. I think I'm supposed to at least attempt to tell you something you don't already know (like how there's usually no sand in "sandwiches"). So, OK then, one of the byproducts of the bacteria in the fermentation process is carbon dioxide, which accounts for the holes, also known as "eyes".  There's a little more to it but that should do you. Generally the bigger the eyes the longer it's been fermented and therefore a more definite taste (so I for one will be going for cheese with the larger eyes).

OR it could be aliens!1! NO ONE KNOWS FOR SURE.

I'm not even sure what type of "Swiss" cheese it was. I'm assuming Emmental but I can't promise it wasn't Jarlsberg or something else not made in Switzerland. I hope it was Emmental because while I wasn't in Emmental I was in Bern, which is the capitol of the area it resides in.

Speaking of eyes, the photo shows me at the main train station in Bern. My own eyes were envious as  I watched all the locals with their awesome old skool style toboggans catching the train to have some fun in the snow.

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