Swiss CHEESE—ITsS CHARACTERISTICS. 139 
273. Flavor. 
First as to flavor. The flavor of the Swiss cheese is a hard 
thing to describe, the same way as it is difficult to express in 
words the flavor of a Cheddar cheese. It can be said, however, 
that the Swiss cheese has a slightly salty taste peculiar to itself, 
a taste that is very pleasing. A cheese that is bitter to the taste 
is to be condemned. 
Fig. 64.—A typical Swiss cheese, showing characteristic holes or ‘‘eyes.’’ 
A square on top of it shows its size. The eyes reflect the light, showing 
that they have a shiny suriace. 
274. Texture. 
A good Swiss cheese should have the right dough, that is, 
it should not stick to the fingers, nor, on the other hand, be too 
dry, but it should mold in the fingers like wax, or as the term 
indicates, like dough. It should also have plenty of even-sized 
eyes or holes about a half an inch in diameter, evenly distributed 
through the cheese, as is seen in the illustration. These holes 
should have a glossy surface, which is again an indication that 
the dough is right. If it is too soft, these holes will have a dull 
surface. In an old cheese drops of brine may be found in the 
holes. 
