News Physics Physicists explain how cheese rosettes form Flowery curls of Tête de Moine result from variations in the friction between the blade and the cheese  The cheese known as Tête de Moine is served by scraping it with a rotating blade to form rosettes (pictured). The shapes form because the friction between the blade and the cheese's rind is lower than the friction in the center of the wheel, physicists report. Juergen Pfeiffer/imageBROKER/Getty Images Plus By Emily Conover 13 seconds ago The Swiss cheese known as Tête de Moine or “monk’s head” is served in a peculiar fashion. A specially designed blade scrapes off thin slices of the cheese wheel, rotating around its surface like a hand of a clock. This process forms thin, frilly cheese rosettes. Now, scientists have uncovered the physics behind these cheese flowers. It all comes down to the friction between the cheese and the blade, physicist Jishen Zhang and colleagues report in a paper accepted to Physical Review Letters. Sign up for our newsletter We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.