The Gemara in the Tractate Brochos, page 38, deals with the issue of which blessing is to be said over mashed dates. Maran in his Shulchan Oruch rules according to this Gemara about fruits that their form has changed. Maran ruled that we recite the "Borei pri hoeitz" brocho over fruit confiture (jams) cooked in honey even if the fruits are very crushed (chapter 204,11). According to this ruling of Maran, the brochos on processed foods that have lost their original form were established.
The Mogein Avraham explains Maran′s ruling and clarifies that on if the original fruit is still recognizable, one recites the "borei pri haetz" blessing. If the end product bears no resemblance to the original fruit, then the "shhakol nihiye bidvoro" blessing is recited.
Falafel, Pureed Potatoes,Chocolate and Madguga
Rabbi Yosef Yedid, a great Torah scholar from the previous century, added an additional argument to the halachic ruling: if the name of the food is different than the original vegetable or fruit, the brocho changes as well (Birkas Yosef, part 2, p. 26). For example: falafel is made from ground chickpeas, and the blessing should be "shehakol" rather than "borei pri ha′adomo".
Rabbenu Yosef Chaim, ob"m, author of the halachic masterpiece "Ben Ish Chai", was asked about the correct blessing to recite when partaking of a food known in Arabic as "madguga". Madguga is made by crushing dates, nuts and sesame seeds together using a mortar and pestle. They are crushed together finely, and become paste-like, losing their previous shape and form. The Ben Ish Chai rules that one should recite the "shehakol" blessing on madguga. This responsa is found in SHu"T Rav Peolim, part 2, Orach Chaim, chapter 28. It seems that Rabbenu Yosef Chaim agrees with the author of the Birkas Yosef, who argues that if the food loses its original appearance, the brocho changes as well. My father, may he live and be well, wrote concerning the blessing on falafel, according to the ruling of the Birkas Yosef, that according to Maran′s opinion, the correct blessing on falafel is "shehakol", because it is not only made of crushed chickpeas, but its name changed . This ruling is printed in the addendums to his book "Yabia Omer," part 7.
To sum it up: We have learned that the blessing on a food changes when the fruits or vegetables have been processed, and their form and name has been changed. Here are some examples:
1. The "Bamba" snack is made from finely crushed corn mixed with peanut butter. It is in a completely different form than the original corn, it has a different name, and therefore one makes the "shehakol" blessing on Bamba.
2. Sugar is a derivate of the sugar beet, but we say the "shehakol" blessing on sugar since it has no resemblance in name or form to the sugar beet.
3. Mashed potatoes: if the potatoes were mashed chunk style, and one can make out pieces of potato in the puree′, then we say the "borei pri ha′adomo" blessing. If the potatoes are very smooth without any chunks or pieces of potato noticeable, we say the "shehakol" blessing. |
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