• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / World / Where Does Swiss Cheese Come From?

Where Does Swiss Cheese Come From?

March 23, 2020 by Karen Hill

We use the term Swiss cheese for a certain kind of cheese with holes in it. In other countries, and in Switzerland too, this cheese is known as Emmentaler, because it was first made during the fifteenth century in the Emmen Tal, a valley in Switzerland.

swiss cheese block

Did you know that little of the Swiss cheese we eat in the United States actually comes from Switzerland?

In an average year, some 60 million pounds of Swiss cheese are imported by the United States, but only about 11 percent of that cheese comes from Switzerland. Much of our imported Swiss comes from Finland and Denmark, and many other countries produce it, including the United States.

The holes in Swiss cheese are caused by the mold cultures used to produce the cheese. Gases given off by the molds form small holes in the cheese, which enlarge as the cheese “rises” while curing.

Swiss cheese is usually shipped in gigantic wheels. The average weight of one of these wheels is 160 pounds! Swiss cheese-makers once had to pay a highway tax.

The tax was based on how many cheeses they carried, not the total weight of their cheese. So to save money, the Swiss made their cheese in huge wheels.

Related Facts

  • What is the Difference between Processed Cheese and Real Cheese and How is Artificial Cheese Made?
  • Why Does Swiss Cheese Have Holes?
  • How are the holes in Swiss cheese formed?
  • Where does the term "Pot Cheese" come from and What does Pot Cheese mean?
  • Where did Cream Cheese and Cottage Cheese come from and How are they made?
  • Where did Mozzarella Cheese come from and How is String Cheese made?

Filed Under: World

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Why does a Bridge over the Reuss River In Switzerland have the “Dance of Death”?
Next Post: In What Country Is Santa Claus a Woman? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2021 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy