THE COMPETITIVE ART OF CHEESE MAKING: Traditional and Commercial The Ohio Swiss Festival In 1953, the Ohio Swiss Cheese and Sugarcreek Businessman’s Associations created the Ohio Swiss Festival to actively promote the Ohio Swiss cheese industry. Today, the Swiss Festival is one of the largest ethnic festivals in the United States. More than thirty thousand pounds of Swiss cheese are sold during the two-day event. Through tourism and commercial enterprise, Swiss and Amish ethnic traditions are being preserved. The popularity and growth of the Swiss cheese industry and the Swiss Festival have created a phenomenal tourist industry in Holmes, Tuscarawas, and Wayne counties. While tourism in those areas center on Swiss, Amish, Mennonite, and German cultures, most often, it does not clearly distinguish among them as distinct cultures. Today, Sugarcreek is known as “The Little Switzerland of Ohio.” Ohio itself claims to be “The Switzerland of America”—thanks to the popularity of Ohio Swiss cheese. Ohio Swiss cheese has even found a food partner: “traditional bologna”—a unique sausage- type meat that originated in the tiny Amish hamlet of Trail, Ohio—and is still produced there daily. Trail bologna is often coupled with Swiss cheese in the ubiquitous “ trail ‘n’ swiss” sandwiches that are sold everywhere in “Amish Country” to tourists who visit from all over the world. The Amish During the later 1700s and the early 1800s, many Amish (Anabaptist) immigrants originally from Switzerland fled religious persecution in Europe. Eventually, a great number chose to settle in several counties in east central Ohio. Today this settlement (located in Holmes, Tuscarawas, and Wayne counties) represents the largest community of Amish in the world. The Swiss The rolling hills and climate of east central Ohio reminded the newly arrived Swiss immigrants in America of their native homeland. In addition the local Amish cows produced milk that was considered perfect—(taste, texture, and aesthetics) for Swiss cheese making. Dairy Farming & Swiss Cheese Making While both the Amish and the Swiss originated from Switzerland, they remained diverse in culture, language, and religion. But in the fertile hills and valleys of their adopted homeland, they combined unique talents and family traditions to create a commercial enterprise that still thrives today. The Ohio Swiss Cheese Industry. The Amish established dairy and produce farms, and the Swiss brought their master cheese making skills to their new communities. In numerous rural villages, excess milk from Amish cows was provided to the local Swiss cheese houses, and the entire community benefited. This cooperative arrangement between the Amish and the Swiss still exists today. Today, Ohio is the largest producer of swiss cheese in the nation! Exhibit Images Little Boy and Girl: During the Swiss festival, “being swiss” is a state of mind! Two men: The highlight of the event is the crowning of the annual Grand Champion Cheese maker. Ohio, The Switzerland of America logo Photo of cheese and sausage Woman holding a deli plate Cartoon Sugar Creek “The little Switzerland of Ohio” Swiss Cheese: Ethnic & Regional Symbol Swiss & Amish Immigrant Cultures in East Central Ohio Cheese cartoons Amish Wagon Ohio Maps (2) Complete replica of and 1890 cheese house The Competitive Art of Swiss Cheese Making in Ohio represents the intersection of... Researched by Lori Liggett for the 1998 Foodways exhibit "Swiss Cheese."
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