Hilchos B'rachos part XII

Foods during a bread meal – part II

In the last shiur we established that the hamotzi recited at a bread meal does not include everything, as certain items are not considered as being part of the meal. The first item we discussed was wine, as wine being an important beverage is not included in the b’racha hamozti. We will now concentrate be”H on the other exclusions.

Fruit and Desserts

Fruit eaten during or at the end of a meal is not included in hamotzi and require their own b’racha. [1] (Fruit eaten as entrée is different and will be explained later).

Hamotzi is recited over bread and since bread is the principal part of a meal, anything eaten at the meal is subordinate to the bread. [2] Items that are eaten during a meal but are not subordinate to the bread require their own b’racha. Fruit is not eaten in conjunction with bread and serves a different purpose in a meal; it thus requires its own b’racha.

Are cooked fruits included in this?

All fruits require their own b’racha, whether eaten cooked or raw,  [3] whether eaten between servings or at the conclusion of a meal as dessert. Fruit is not served to satiate like other foods served during a meal, and thus require their own b’racha. (Rav Sternbuch shlita retells that there is testimony that the Chofetz Chaim retracted his p’sak in the Mishna Berura and he did not recite a b’racha on fruit compote consumed at the end of a meal, on Shabbos, because it is normal to eat compote at a Shabbos meal.). [4]

Are all fruit included in this?

Almost all fruits are eaten for this same purpose and therefore dates, figs, raisins, fruit-compote, pineapple – even though the b’racha on pineapple is ha’adamah, watermelon, melon and almost all others require a b’racha. [5]

Thus we see that the b’racha is irrelevant to this halacha and even items that require ha’admah require a b’racha when consumed during a meal.

Carrots or apricots cooked together with chicken do not require their own b’racha because they are subordinate (tafel) to the chicken, but if one were to eat them on their own (sweet apricots etc.), some say that they require their own b’racha [6] and in such a case it is correct to recite a b’racha on other fruit and have the “sweet fruit” in mind.

What about eating popcorn?

 

Popcorn, sunflower seeds, peanuts and anything similar eaten as a separate item to the meal requires its own b’racha. This is true even when eaten during the meal because this kind of item is not subordinate to the bread. [7]

Desserts

Desserts such as ice cream, [8] sorbets and candies require their own b’racha.

Fruit entrée

 

One does not recite a b’racha over fruit eaten at the onset of a meal, [9] but since there is a machlokes whether one should or not, it is correct to recite a b’racha on the fruit before washing for bread and reciting hamotzi, having in mind that the b’racha will cover the fruit eaten after hamotzi. One need not eat a k’zayis.

Cake - ôú äáàä áëéñðéï

In order to know whether one recites a mezonos on cake eaten at the end of a meal, we must introduce the concept of ôú äáàä áëéñðéï.

ôú äáàä áëéñðéï literally means pocket shaped bread. We recite the b’racha boreh minei mezonos on cake, cookies and biscuits as opposed to hamotzi, despite that these items are grain based.

The reason mezonos is recited is because Chazal did not require washing hands and hamotzi for items not normally eat as a meal.

What defines cake and cookies?

We find three opinions in halacha:

Kneaded

The Mechaber (Sephardim): dough kneaded with fruit juice, sugar, oil and other substances, which produce a noticeable taste in the final product.

The Rama (Ashkenazim): dough kneaded with more fruit juice, oil, sugar etc. than water.

Since bread is not usually made this way, this product in called ôú äáàä áëéñðéï and its b’racha is mezonos.

To be cont.