Swiss Cheese Day is a holiday that’s observed annually on the 2nd day of January and celebrates a mild, sweet, and nutty cheese that’s known for its slightly yellow color and the holes that are in it.

This type of cheese is made using the P. shermanii culture that not only gives it characteristic flavor but creates carbon dioxide gas that ends up creating round holes in the finished product.

Everyone who is a fan of this cheese should consider observing this holiday and serving up this cheese in their favorite recipes. We know that we’ll be using Swiss cheese to make some excellent Reuben sandwiches and maybe, just maybe, some ham and Swiss sliders.

The History Of Swiss Cheese Day

Swiss cheese as we know it today first began in the 14th century in Switzerland. It began in a region called Emmental and this alpine-style cheese was created in high-altitude pastures.

Cows would graze at these high altitudes during the summer months before they were returned to lower elevations as fall began to begin. The cheese makers would make large batches of this cheese to preserve the “summer milk” that comes from these cows. This was a cheese-making tradition that was preserved for centuries.

During the late 19th century, Swiss immigrants would bring their cheese-making traditions with them to the United States, especially to Wisconsin. With the boom of the dairy industry in this state, this “alpine-style” cheese evolved into Swiss and Baby Swiss cheeses. These types of Swiss are the most well-known in the U.S. In many parts of Europe, it’s not known as Swiss cheese but is instead known as Emmental Cheese.

As far as the origins of Swiss Cheese Day, that’s a little bit harder to pin down than the origins of Swiss cheese. We believe this to be a relatively recent holiday that was only created in the past few years, but we’re having trouble pinning down exactly when it was started. If we had to guess, we’d probably say that this holiday has only been around since around 2001 or so, but let us once again reiterate the fact that this is only a guess.

Observing Swiss Cheese Day

Swiss Cheese Day is observed with lots of Swiss cheese, but don’t feel like this limits you on what you can enjoy. Swiss is a very versatile cheese that can be used for much more than just sandwiches.

It can be turned into a variety of cheese dips, used in pasta dishes, and can even be used in soups. The sky is the limit with this type of cheese, so feel free to get creative with it. Just be sure to let all of us know what you created by using the hashtag #SwissCheeseDay on social media.