Why Does Swiss Cheese Have Holes? A Simple Explanation for Kids

Swiss cheese is a special kind of cheese that has holes in it, and those holes are called "eyes." But do you know why those holes are there? Let me explain it step by step!

1. Making Swiss Cheese: When people make Swiss cheese, they start with milk, which they heat up and mix with special things called "bacteria". These bacteria help turn milk into cheese.
2. Bubbles of Gas: As the bacteria work, they produce tiny bubbles of a gas called carbon dioxide. This gas is like the bubbles you see in soda, but much smaller!
3. Holes Forming: As the cheese is made, this gas gets trapped in the cheese. Because the cheese is very soft in the beginning, these little bubbles create holes or "eyes" in the cheese. It’s like when you blow air into a balloon and it gets bigger!
4. Final Touches: After the cheese is left to age for a while, it becomes firmer, but the holes stay in place. That’s why when you cut into Swiss cheese, you can see these fun holes!

So, Swiss cheese has holes because of the tiny bubbles of gas that are created during its making. The next time you see Swiss cheese, remember the little bubbles that made it special!