What Causes the Holes in Cheese

By History of Simple Things

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Have you ever wondered why some cheeses have holes while others are completely solid? Those familiar openings, often called “eyes,” are more than just a distinctive feature of Swiss-style cheese. They are the visible result of bacteria, fermentation, carbon dioxide, and months of aging working together inside the cheese. In this video, we explore how these tiny microorganisms transform ordinary milk and create the holes we recognize in cheeses such as Emmental. We’ll also look at why cheesemakers sometimes want holes—and sometimes consider them a defect—and how modern cheesemaking makes this process more predictable. Today, we’re uncovering the fascinating science and history behind one of cheese’s most recognizable features. 00:03 Why Some Cheeses Have Holes 00:44 The Ancient History of Cheese 01:25 How Milk Becomes Cheese 02:09 The Bacteria Behind the Holes 03:13 How Carbon Dioxide Creates the “Eyes” 03:41 How Aging Temperature Changes the Cheese 05:02 When Microbiology Explained

Tags: #HistoryOfEverydayItems, #HowItsMade, #BehindTheProduct, #SimpleThingsExplained, #EverydayInnovations, #ManufacturingProcesses, #FromRawToFinished, #TheMakingOf, #EverydayWonders, #ExploringOrigins, #UncoveringCreation, #TheStoryBehind, #CraftingEssentials, #OriginsOfInnovation, #DiscoveryOfCreation