Things To Know About Baby Swiss Cheese

Chances are, even if you aren't Swiss you've had swiss cheese. It's the kind with the holes in it, the same kind you see in cartoons with mice. The classic “holed” cheese is swiss cheese.

Swiss cheese originated in Switzerland, and the most prestigious kind is known as Emmentaler, because it began in the Emme region of Switzerland. The swiss cheese that started there is now available around the world, and, in fact, the largest swiss cheese making plant is now in the United States. Most types of swiss cheese are made with unpasteurized cow's milk – though in the US it is often pasteurized to be able to have a shorter aging time and still meet government regulations. The unpasteurized cow's milk is key in getting the color, flavor, and texture that we know of as swiss cheese.

There is another type of “swiss cheese” that is available now – known as “baby swiss cheese.” It has nothing to do with the age of the Swiss, but it isn't the same as traditional swiss cheese. Baby swiss cheese is made from different ingredients, and ends up with a bit different of a result.

What Makes Baby Swiss Cheese Different?

Baby swiss cheese is a semi-soft cheese, made from whole milk and with small holes – similar to the holes in traditional swiss cheese, but many more holes that are quite small. Baby swiss cheese is commonly seen in delis and grocery stores, often pre-sliced for easier sandwich making.

How Does It Get The Tiny Holes?

Let's go back to the basics of how to make swiss cheese. Swiss cheese – baby or traditional – is made from cow's milk with a bacteria in it to break down the lactic acid. These bacteria make carbon dioxide, which makes bubbles within the cheese. As the cheese ages and solidifies, the bubbles become an integral part of the cheese. The longer the cheese ages, the larger the bubbles will be.

With baby swiss cheese they change several steps of the process. The cheesemakers use whole milk, resulting in a more rich, buttery flavor. Also, water is used instead of the whey from the milk so that the bacterial acts slower, resulting in smaller holes in the baby swiss cheese. Also, baby swiss cheese is aged for a very short length of time, and so the bubbles don't grow very big, plus the flavor is milder in baby swiss cheese than in its counterparts. It is commonly found in the United States, and can also be found by the name of “lacy Swiss,” because the tiny bubbles can make the cheese look like lace.