Swiss Alpine milk cow near Crans-Montana, Valais, Switzerland

My favourite bit of Swiss news today is about the growth in Swiss cheese exports, with Emmental cheese, as always, leading the pack. It’s the one with holes often known elsewhere as Swiss cheese.

That of course overlooks the hundreds of other Swiss cheeses on the market. In 2008 Switzerland exported 61,190 tons of cheese, says swissinfo, which represents 22 million litres of milk. The cows next door to my Alpine chalet suddenly look more valuable to me.

Emmental sales are actually down very slightly, but raclette, the cheese we grill before we eat it, has seen its sales go up by 31%. So in the end, perhaps holes in cheese are not what we love in an economic downturn as much as something we can sink our teeth into – after venting a bit by setting fire to it.

Search for Swiss cheeses on the Switzerland Cheese Marketing site.

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