Maasdam

Maasdam and Leerdammer are very similar. Maasdam is an Emmental-style Dutch cheeses made from cow's milk. Maasdam is aged for at least four weeks. It ripens faster than other cheeses made in the Netherlands. It has internal voids, holes or eyes that appear during the ripening process and a smooth, yellow rind. Sometimes, it is waxed like Gouda. The cheeses were created to compete with Swiss Emmentaler cheeses by being less expensive and quicker to produce. In the process of making a cheese with the same general components as Swiss cheeses, the Dutch ended up with a cheese that is nutty and sweet but softer than Emmental, due to a higher moisture content. Leerdammer was introduced in 1984 by the Baars company. Leerdammer is now made by other Dutch companies under the name Maasdam or Maasdammer. That name was selected to honour the village of Maasdam in the province of South Holland.

Leerdammer

Leerdammer is a Dutch semihard cheese made from cow's milk. It has an ageing time around 3–12 months. It has a creamy white texture and was made to be similar in appearance and flavour to Emmental. Its sweet and somewhat nutty flavour becomes more pronounced with age. It also has distinct holes. Advertising campaigns have used the slogan "De lekkerste kaas tussen de gaten" ("the taste is around the holes").

The cheese is produced exclusively by the Bel Group. The Leerdammer name is a trademark of Bel Leerdammer BV. On 22 March 2021, Bel Group announced it was handing over the brand and its related assets to Lactalis in exchange for the shares Lactalis held in Bel Group, bar a retained 0.9% stake.

Leerdammer cheese is produced in Schoonrewoerd in the municipality of Leerdam, the city which gave Leerdammer its name. Generic Leerdammer-style cheese is sold as Maasdam cheese. Groupe Bel has a second factory producing Leerdammer in Dalfsen, in the eastern province of Overijssel. It is also produced in France.

The cheese was developed by Cees Boterkooper, who had owned a small dairy in Schoonrewoerd since 1914, and Bastiaan Baars, who ran a cheese shop in a nearby village. The two met in 1970, and soon afterwards decided to collaborate. They worked on a cheese that could compete with Gouda and Edam. Leerdammer was launched in 1977. It is available in supermarkets throughout Europe, Russia and the US.

Jarlsberg

Jarlsberg is a mild cheese made from cow's milk, with large, regular eyes. It originates from Jarlsberg, in Norway and is produced in Norway, and by license, in Ieland and Ohio, USA. It is classified as a Swiss-type cheese.

It has a yellow wax rind and a semi-firm yellow interior. It is a mild, buttery cheese. The flavour has been described as "clean and rich, with a slightly sweet and nutty flavour". It is an all-purpose cheese, used for both cooking and eating as a snack. It has a characteristic smooth, shiny-yellow body and a creamy, supple texture. It is aged a minimum of three months and is distinguished by medium to large holes. Some variations are aged a minimum of 9, 12 or 15 months. It is usually produced in 10-kilogram (22 lb) wheels with an approximate diameter of 330 millimetres (13 in) and a height of 95 to 105 millimetres (3.7 to 4.1 in). The characteristic "eyes" are the result of the action of the bacteria (Propionibacterium freudenreichii) which naturally occurs in milk and is added back into the cheese during production according to a closely guarded secret formula.

The history of this cheese can be traced back to the middle 1850s. Anders Larsen Bakke (1815–1899), a farmer and pioneer in Norway's dairy industry, produced cheese in the village of Våle in what was then the county of Jarlsberg and Larviks Amt (now Vestfold), 80 km (50 mi) south of Oslo. The cheese shares similarities with Emmental, introduced to Vestfold by Swiss cheese makers during the 1830s. The cheese was first noted in the annual county report of Jarlsberg and Larviks Amt in 1855. After several years of popularity marked by a large volume of production Jarlsberg disappeared from the market.

Modern Jarlsberg cheese was developed in 1956 by Ole Martin Ystgaard of the Dairy Institute at the Agricultural University of Norway. Ystgaard's interest was sparked by the thesis of a dairy sciences student, Per Sakshaug, on the cheese historically made in Vestfold. It was named for a Norwegian nobleman, Count Wedel Jarlsberg, who owned land near Oslo in an area where an earlier version of the cheese was produced in the early 1800s, or for the eponymous county. The recipe was developed from formulae originating with Swiss cheesemakers who moved to Norway at that time.

"Jarlsberg" is a trademark first registered by Tine SA in 1972, and the exact nature and formula for the process of making Jarlsberg cheese is a trade secret. The largest producer of Jarlsberg is Tine SA. Tine is the largest Norwegian dairy product cooperative. Jarlsberg accounts for 80% of Tine's total exports. Tine's US subsidiary, Norseland, has sold 150 million 22 lb (10 kg) wheels of Jarlsberg in the US as of 2004.

Jarlsberg cheese was introduced in the US in 1964. Imports to the US in 1965 were 25 million pounds (11,000,000 kg). Since 1979 imports have been limited to 15 million pounds (6,800,000 kg). Jarlsberg is the most popular imported cheese in the US. As of 2004, 5-10 million pounds (2,300,000-4,500,000 kg) of Jarlsberg was made in Ohio. It is also produced in Ireland by Dairygold.

Annual sales of Jarlsberg in the UK are £6.9m as of 2013. Jarlsberg is also popular in Australia. Jarlsberg is used as the topping of the Grandiosa, the best-selling frozen pizza in Norway.

Gruyère

Gruyère is a hard Swiss cheese that originated in the cantons of Fribourg, Vaud, Neuchâtel, Jura and Berne. It is named after the town of Gruyères in Fribourg. In 2001, Gruyère gained the appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC), which became the appellation d'origine protégée (AOP) as of 2013.

Gruyère is classified as a Swiss-type or Alpine cheese and is sweet but slightly salty, with a flavour that varies widely with age. It is often described as creamy and nutty when young, becoming more assertive, earthy and complex as it matures. When fully aged (five months to a year), it tends to have small cracks that impart a slightly grainy texture. Unlike Emmental, with which it is often confused, modern Gruyère has few if any eyes, although in the 19th century, this was not always the case. The small cracks that can develop in Gruyère cheese are often referred to as "eyes." These eyes are round or irregularly shaped holes that are formed during the aging process. It is the most popular Swiss cheese in Switzerland and in most of Europe.

It  is used in many ways in countless dishes. It is considered a good cheese for baking because of its distinctive but not overpowering taste. For example in quiche, Gruyère adds savoriness without overshadowing the other ingredients. It is a good melting cheese, particularly suited for fondues, along with Vacherin Fribourgeois and Emmental. It is also traditionally used in French onion soup, as well as in croque-monsieur, a classic French toasted ham and cheese sandwich. Gruyère is also used in chicken and veal cordon bleu. It is a fine table cheese and, when grated, it is often used with salads and pastas. It is used, grated, atop le tourin, a garlic soup from France served on dried bread. White wines, such as Riesling, pair well with Gruyère. Sparkling cider and Bock beer are also beverage affinities.

Emmental

Emmental, Emmentaler or Emmenthal is a yellow, medium-hard cheese that originated in the area around the Emmental, in the canton of Bern, Switzerland. It is classified as a Swiss-type or Alpine cheese.

Emmental was first mentioned in written records in 1293, but first called by its present name in 1542. It has a savoury but mild taste. While "Emmentaler" is registered as a geographical indication in Switzerland, a limited number of countries recognise the term as a geographical indication: similar cheeses of other origins, especially from France (as Emmental), the Netherlands, Bavaria and Finland, are widely available and sold by that name. In some parts of the world, the names "Emmentaler" and "Swiss cheese" are used interchangeably for Emmental-style cheese.

Three types of bacteria are needed to prepare Emmental: Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus helveticus and Propionibacterium freudenreichii. Historically, the holes were a sign of imperfection, and until modern times, cheese makers would try to avoid them. Nowadays, however, eye formation is valued as a sign of maturation and quality and acoustic analysis has been developed for this purpose. Emmental cheese is usually consumed cold, as chunks or slices and is also used in a variety of dishes, particularly in gratins and fondue, in which it is mixed with Gruyère, the other highly popular Swiss cheese.

Several varieties of Emmental are registered as geographical indications, including: Switzerland. Eighteen-month-old raw-milk Emmentaler AOCEmmentaler was registered in 2000 as an appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) in Switzerland. In 2013, it was replaced by the appellation d'origine protégée (AOP) certification. The Emmentaler produced according to the AOC-registration needs to be produced in small rural dairies with raw cow's milk, adding only natural ingredients (water, salt, natural starter cultures and rennet); preservatives or ingredients from genetically modified organisms are not allowed. The cheese is produced in a round shape with a natural rind, and aged in traditional cellars for a minimum of four months. Emmentaler must be produced in Kantons Aargau, Bern (except Amtsbezirk Moutier), Glarus, Luzern, Schwyz, Solothurn, St. Gallen, Thurgau, Zug or Zürich or in the See- and Sensebezirk of Kanton Freiburg.

Emmentaler is also recognized as a geographical indication in the Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Jamaica, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia and Spain.

Outside Switzerland: Emmental de Savoie from France

In many parts of the English-speaking world the terms "Emmentaler" and "Swiss cheese" are both used to refer to any cheese of the Emmental type, whether produced in Switzerland or elsewhere. The US Department of Agriculture, for example, uses the terms 'Swiss cheese' and 'Emmentaler cheese' interchangeably.

Emmental cheese is very widely imitated around the world, and is often just called "Swiss cheese".