Why does cheese have holes?
Some cheeses get holes from tiny bubbles of gas inside them.
Pip’s answer
- Some cheeses get holes from tiny bubbles of gas inside them.
- Teeny helpers too small to see live in the cheese.
- They make little puffs of gas, and the bubbles push the cheese open!
- Ooh, when the cheese is cut open, you can see the round holes!
For grown-ups
In Swiss-type cheeses like Emmental, bacteria produce carbon dioxide gas as the cheese ripens. The gas forms bubbles that create round holes, called 'eyes'. Studies also suggest tiny hay particles in milk help these bubbles start.
Ask your child: Which cheeses do you know that have holes?
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