Mozzarella Cheese is Fantastic

Emmentaler ('Swiss cheese') is a cow's milk cheese that has been made in Switzerland's Emmental Valley since the 15th century, and is the country's oldest cheese. It is made in giant wheels that can weigh well over 200 pounds. Swiss cheese is made by heating cow's milk at high temperatures and then lifting the curd from the whey in one mass in a fine-mesh net. This mass is then shaped into blocks, salted with strong brine, wrapped to prevent drying, and stored for six to eight weeks to ferment at 80º Fahrenheit. During the weeks of curing, the cultures begin to grow causing the body of the cheese to break down, the holes to form and that great Swiss cheese flavor to develop. The famous "holes" in Swiss cheese develop because of the gas that occurs naturally from the breakdown of milk sugar in the cheese. The cheese maker takes periodic samples to determine that the holes of the cheese are properly developed.
Swiss cheese has been in the news recently because the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) created new
guidelines that regulate the hole size of domestically produced Swiss cheese. The USDA reduced the standard size of the holes by half because new cheese-slicing machinery got caught on larger holes.

WHY DOES SWISS CHEESE HAVE HOLES?
Put simply, during the manufacturing process the particular bacteria that produces the flavor and texture of the cheese also produces carbon dioxide gas as a by product, and these bubbles of gas produce the holes. 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 SECRET IS IN THE COWS
Cheese is only as good as the milk from which it is made. And natural Swiss raw milk is among the best in the world. In Switzerland, stringent quality-controls ensure that farmers supply creameries with nothing but first-class, pure, untreated milk. And what makes this milk so remarkable? The juicy grasses and tasty herbs that grow in abundance in the clear air of the Swiss meadows. These form the basis of the diet of the dairy cows-who are never fed silo food or ground animal products. In addition, the master cheese makers form personal bonds with every individual dairy farmer who supplies their milk and regularly check that the stables are clean, the cows are in good health, and the milking equipment is sanitary. This close contact is an important part of why Swiss raw milk is of such high quality.

THE ART OF CHEESE-MAKING
In Switzerland, cheese-making is a true art. In small village cheese dairies, master cheese makers combine handed-down, age-old cheese-making tradition with the best of modern technology, preserving the original taste while complying with stringent hygiene controls. Real Swiss cheese is made by hand and aged for at least four months. Twice daily, the farmers bring their fresh raw milk to the cheese dairies. Then, as it has been for generations, the cheese-making begins. In Switzerland, cheese is subjected to the strictest foodstuffs laws by the Swiss Federal Office for Public Health. As a result, every phase of the cheese-making process is thoroughly checked to maintain the highest quality-from the health and diet of the cows to the hygiene of the milking equipment to the individual manufacturing processes. And of course, only cheese that achieves the highest levels of quality and taste are permitted to reach the consumer.

AND IT'S GOOD FOR YOU TOO!
Not only is Swiss cheese a wonderful treat for your palate, it is also a nutritious part of a balanced diet. A 1-oz serving contains 8g of protein and 30% of the recommended daily allowance of calcium.

So don't be shy, grab a slice-or a chunk-and enjoy!