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Q26) If a baker bakes a pas habah bikisnin product with intent of using it as a meal, what brocha is it?
A26) Great Question. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what the baker intends, but rather only what the eater intends. If the eater considers the pas haba bikisnin as his meal then Ha'motzei, and if not then mezonot. (See here for more)
Q25) I would like to know which beracha I should make on a bar made out of nuts: cashews, brazilian nuts, macadamia, almonds, walnuts and peanuts. They are in fragments, so technically I would be able to separate a piece of peanuts and make ha’adama and an almond and make ha’etz. The other ingredients are honey (which keeps the nuts together), flavors, glucose and fibers.
A25) Peanuts are Ha'adoma while all other nuts are Ha'eitz. In this case, one would make a single bracha which would cover the entire bar and the bracha depends on the majority ingredient. Therefore, if there are more peanuts than all the other nuts - then Ha'adoma. If there are more of the assorted nuts than peanuts - then Ha'eitz. (See Ikar and Tofel: Mixture for more on this)
Q24)Which brocha is made on a cookie made with sorghum flour?
A24) As far as I can tell, Sorghum is a grain but not one of the special 5 grains. Therefore, a cookie made from Sorghum would be shehakol, but see Grains for more on this.(If the cookie has some wheat flour and some Sorghum flour, then provided that the wheat flour is used for more than just a binding ingredient - it would be mezonot. Concerning it's after bracha - see discussion)
Q23) Regarding soups which contain a near-puree consistency, but do maintain some intact small pieces, is the the beracha shehakol or ha-adama?
A23) If there is a single solid recognizable vegetable, make Ha'adoma on that piece and that will cover the rest of the soup. But, please see Soup Section for more full discussion.
Q22) What if I forgot the addition of Yaaleh V’Yavo on Rosh Chodesh in Bentching?
A22) The short answer is you do NOT need to repeat it. However, since these halachot are somewhat related to our brochot topic, I will explain these halachot in detail - here.
Q21) What is the blessing one makes on Humus (Chickpeas that are mixed into a paste)?
A21) Great question. Chickpeas are considered vegetables and therefore Ha'adoma. The question is if they loose their ideal bracha when processed into humus. First off, I'd like to point out the obvious just to be sure that almost all the time humus would be tofel to whatever you are eating it with. Therefore, the question is primarily theoretical. Rishonim argue on this point and both sides are valid. I asked Rav Shechter for the final psak and he said there is even more room by Ha'adoma then by Ha'eitz where it can lose it's form and still retain it's ideal bracha - therefore the bracha on humus would be Ha'adoma (see more on this subject).
Q20) If I have a bread that the baker made for me special with 3 grains (meals) in the same quantities: oat, rice and buckweat. What would the beracha rishona and achrona be on such an item? Would I need to eat 3 kazayit of bread to ensure I ate 1 kazayit of oat flour or would 1 kazayit be enough to merit a birkat hamazon?
A20) This is a great question with huge ramifications. See the Whole thing.
Q19) This is kind of a big question, but can you add some more cereals to the site? The types of health food cereals sold in the organic sections of supermarkets and at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods are kind-of complex. Like Barbara's Puffins contains a bit of oat flour --- I'm guessing mezonot.
A19) I hope to add more in the future, but fortunately I have barbara's Puffins as well as 3 others in my closet now:
- Barbara's Puffins (Cinnamon) - Mezonot / Borei Nefashot. This is because the cereal has both corn meal and oat flour and according to Rav Bodner when you can taste the oat flour the cereal is a mezonot. He suggests first eating a cheerio to get the feeling of an oat flavor and then eat the puffin and I tried it and I honestly believe it has the same oat flavor at the end and therefore I believe it should be mezonot. Regarding bracha achrona i wrote borei nefashot because it's unlikely you'll eat a kazayit of oat flour within C'dei Achilat Pras, but if you are certain that you are, by eating the whole bowl in 4 minutes then you should make an al hamichya.
- Barbara's Shredded Spoonfuls - Mezonot / Al hamichya
- General Mills Curves Cereal (Honey Crunch) - mezonot / al hamichya
- Nature's Path Heritage Heirloom Whole Grain Bites - mezonot / al hamichya
Q18) What is the appropriate blessing before eating a “tortilla”. I had been using “mine mezonot”, however recently someone pointed out that it really depends on what product was used to make the “tortilla” (corn, wheat, spelt) and the use the “tortilla” is given. For example; used to hold meat and vegetables such as a “taco”, used as a wrap like you would bread for a sandwich, or toasted and used in a soup or salad as you would croutons.
A18) This is the 4th question concerning Tortillas so I guess I should probably learn what a tortilla is and dedicate a section for it. (Read the whole thing)
Q17) What's the brocha for wraps, like say a tuna wrap?
A17) This is another fantastic question with a lot of controversy on both sides. Some argue that although the dough is thin, thin is not what makes something pas habah bikisnin. Its only when its thin and hard. In this case, it's true its thin but still flexible and the proof is that you are using it just like you would use ordinary bread to hold all these meal type items (i.e. tuna or vegetables). Others respond that a wrap makes bread "On the go." A wrap allows the eater to take it and run, and therefore its more of a snack then a meal type food. (See discussion)
Q16) Why would Crispix be both Mezonot and Ha'adoma
A16) This is a great question. Crispix would be classified as the 3rd category of Ikar and Tofel: One Mixture and normally foods in this category can't be separated even if you wanted to. The rules for this category are: if there is mezonot in the mixture then the mezonot takes all.The thing is that this doesn't apply to rice. While it's true that rice is mezonot, it doesn't have the chashivut of the other 5 grains. The second rule is to go after the majority ingredient, but since there is no majority - we are forced to make two brochas on one item.
A15) When it comes to Fruits and Vegetables, we only say the ideal bracha if the food is eaten in the common state. Since most people eat onions cooked, when the onions are raw they receive a mere shehakol (See Changing Fruits and Vegetables for more.)
Q14) What is the correct bracha for Kashi Go Lean Bars?
A14) So this question took a while but the results are finally in. All Kashi Go Lean Bars are Ha'adoma. (read more)
Q13) You list SUSHI as being mezonos, assumedly because a mezonos food is never considered a taful. Is this actually true for rice as well, because, clearly, the rice of the sushi is taful to the rest of the ingredients.
A13) What bracha to say on Sushi is really a fantastic question, yet for some reason you won't find the answer in any bracha book (at least from what I've seen). First off, its hard to determine what the ikar component is: The fish or the rice. Additionally, its hard to classify Sushi as either the second type of Ikar and Tofel or the Third Type. On the one hand, sushi isn't really a mixture, but then again people normally eat it as one unit. If it's the second type, then we need to go back to our first question and determine the Ikar component. If it's the third type, then we would go by the majority ingredient. If pressed, I would say Sushi is mezonot because i think it's a third type mixture and i think rice is the majority ingredient by volume. Nevertheless, the best thing to do it to make a shehokol on another item (and have intention to patur the fish inside the sushi) and then make a mezonot on the sushi.
Q12) How many grapes (smallish red grapes) are there in a Kazayis?
A12) It seems like 4 should do it, but maybe 5 to be on the safe side. (If you're interested in running an experiment, you can measure the water displacement of 4 or 5 grapes and see if they displace one fluid ounce - then you have a Kezayit.)
Q11) Any ideas about the beracha on hearts of palm? The gemorah in Berachos mentions it, but I'm not clear as to the outcome of the discussion.
A11) This a famous and popular bracha question and unfortunately there is no clear consensus as for an answer. I personally hold of V’zot Haberacha’s psak that they are Ha’adoma. (click here to see a lengthier discussion)
Q10) I was looking on the site to find out the bracha for Grits. Grits are made from corn; I was checking to see if they are HaAdama or SheHakol and was very surprised to see Mezonot/Al HaMichya listed as the proper brachot. Can you please tell me the source for this?
A10) The grits I am referring to are barley grits, however, you’re right, corn grits (also known as Corn Fritters) would be Shehokol and Borei Nefashot. The reason Corn Fritters are Shehokol as opposed to Ha’adoma is because it is made from milled and grounded corn. (see the Read more from the question on Kamut below.)
Q9) What is your source for Pringles being"Haadama"? All sources that I've checked, including "Zot Habracha", say that Pringles are "Shehakol", because they are processed. I've asked many rabbis in the past, they all said the same.
A9) You're right! I never saw this before, footnote 79 in the way back discusses pringles and say they are shehakol. My source for saying they are ha'adoma is Rav Bodner who writes:
"According to some Poskim, the brocha for “Pringles” ( potato chips made from dehydrated potato granules) is borei pri hoadoma, since the end product is recognizably a potato chip."
Q8) According to your site, lemons are shehakol and borei nefashos. May I ask you why?
A8) On the one hand, lemons come from trees, and thus deserve the bracha of Ha'etz. Yet, on the other hand, since lemons are bitter and not normally eaten directly, perhaps one shouldn't make any brocha. As for the final halacha, we differentiate between different types of lemons. Lemons that are really bitter and can only be eaten when forced down - wouldn't receive any bracha, since it is considered harmful. Lemons that are mildly bitter and are eaten with some difficulty receive a shehokol. Finally, lemons that are naturally sweet - would receive the bracha of Ha'etz. According to V'Zot Haberacha, almost all the lemons around nowadays fall into the second category. (As a side note, if one put sugar or something similar on the lemon, it would then qualify for Ha'etz.)
Q7) Does the product "Lactagen," designed to cure lactose intolerance, need a hechsher? If yes, can u tell me based on the ingredients if it is kosher? (see website www.lactagen .com)
A7) Sorry, but this question is way beyond me. However, i did find that the Star K Kashrut organization provides a useful approved medicine list and you can check it out at http://www.star-k.org/cons-appr-medecine.htm
Q6) Does one make a brocha on Listerine Pocketpaks Strips?
A6) No, it is not considered food.
Q5) Honey bunches of oats (all) is listed as mezonos, I was looking at the ingredient panel and the 1st ingredient is corn, can you please tell me why it is still mezonos (I would like to try and know how to figure out berachot when I don't have internet access to check the site!)
A5) True, but the second ingredient is whole grain wheat (and the fourth is whole grain rolled oats). These are from the 5 special grains and since they are processed and turned into Pas Haba Bisinin - they get a mezonot. Even though, corn is the majority ingredient, the Ikar mezonot is covering the tofel corn. (I discuss this in Ikar and Tofel, under the third category of, “Tofel by Form,” and in this category even a minority amount of mezonot can be the Ikar [as long as its not “serving.” An example of “serving” would be to thicken the batter or if used as a binding agent in a recipe, but here the mezonot adds its own flavor.] and would be considered the Ikar despite not be the majority ingredient.)
Q4) What is the bracha for quinoa?
A4) Quinoa is not one of the five special grains, and therefore could only recieve either an Ha'adoma or Shehokol depending on how it's used. If you grind it up and make it into a cake then it's shehokol, if kept whole - then Ha'adoma (see the Read more from the question on Kamut).
Q3) Can you tell me the proper beracha for Fortune Cookies?
A3) They are made with flour, but since they are hard (and thus, qualify as Pas Haba Bikisnin) they are Mezonot.
Q2) Which Beracha comes first, Mezonot or Ha' gafen?
A2) Mezonot then Ha'gafen (see more on Order of Brochos)
Q1) What's the Beracha for Kamut?
A1) It seems to me that kamut is a type of wheat, and therefore would follow all the same rules of wheat. If you just cooked the grains whole- then adoma, if made into cake - then mezonot, and if made into bread - then hamotzei. (Read more)
