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The confusion is natural in the United States considering the profusion of sliced cheese with holes marketed under the generic term of "Swiss cheese." American versions have attempted to copy the original Swiss versions for mass consumption, but the type sold sliced for sandwiches just cannot compare.

Swiss cheese is described as pale yellow in color with large, scattered holes, and having a slightly nutty flavor. The fermentation process causes gas to expand within the cheese, causing large bubbles which become holes.

When I was a kid, we used to refer to Swiss cheese as "rat cheese," because it was the type of cheese always depicted in cartoons featuring mice and rats. Later I learned that not all cheese with holes is Swiss cheese and not all Swiss cheese has holes.

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