The Bracha on Latkes (Continued)

Q. In the previous Halacha it was noted that the beracha on potato latkes is Ha’odama. Would the beracha change if matzo meal or wheat flour was added to the potato latkes?

A. There is a concept in halacha that if a person eats an ikar and tafel (primary and secondary foods) together, the beracha is recited on the ikar and that covers the tafel as well. Foods are considered ikar and tafel in one of two ways: a) One food enhances the other, such as macaroni and ketchup. b) One food is the majority of the mixture and the other is the minority, such as fruit cocktail with a lot of grapes and and a few pineapple chunks. However, whenever there is a mixture of foods that contain any of the five grains (wheat, barley, spelt, rye or oats), the five grains are automatically considered primary, and the beracha is Mezonos. (See Shulchan Aruch OC 208:2). Based on this rule, one might think that the beracha on latkes made with matzo meal or flour should be Mezonos. However, this is not correct. This is because Shulchan Aruch clarifies that the five grains are primary only when added for taste, but not if added to hold the food together (lidavek). In our case, since the purpose of the flour and matzo meal is to act as a binder, to hold the latke together, and not because we want it to taste like wheat, the wheat is considered secondary, and the beracha remains Ha’odama.

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