Swiss cheese is often characterized by the presence of holes, or “eyes” as the cheese industry calls them. I mean technically they are holes when the cheese is cut, but exist as bubbles within the cheese. But in reality, few Swiss cheeses actually have holes. The association likely came about during the early years of Swiss cheese marketing abroad, when the core cheeses sold were Emmental and Gruyère. It is Emmental that is a core holed cheese, with possible Appenzeller having small holes. Most other Swiss cheeses don’t. Another popular “Swiss-like” cheese Jarlsberg, based on Emmental also hs holes. Popular belief is that these holes are made by carbon dioxide released by bacteria in the cheese. However newer research says they are the result of microscopically small particles of hay dust. This hay dust causes a change in the structure of the curd, allowing gas to form, and create the eyes. As the process of making cheese has become more modernized, and clean, the number and size of these holes has naturally decreased. This is why the Emmental cheese of my childhood seemed to have larger holes.
despite the snow 