A question that is especially popular with children, but that many adults can’t answer either, is how do the holes get in the cheese? Many a person may believe that the holes are drilled into the cheese. This is not true! The holes in the cheese are a natural phenomenon and can be easily explained.
Where do large holes in cheese come from?
The secret lies in the cheese ripening process. At the beginning of the cheese-making process, specially bred bacteria are added to the milk, causing carbon dioxide as the cheese ripens. Since the gas cannot escape through the dough and rind, it accumulates in cavities of varying sizes in the cheese mass. These are the holes in the cheese.
How large they are depends on the type and amount of bacteria as well as the firmness of the cheese mass. For example, Emmentaler is stored for several weeks in a fermentation cellar at 23 °C – this is how the large, typical holes are formed.
Where do the small holes come from?
Smaller holes arise, as for example with Tilsiter, even before the cheese matures. This is because the cheese is not pressed into the mold, but is put in by hand. This creates a loose layering in which the smaller holes are created.
