Borei Minei Mezonot
General Rules
Say the fore-blessing borei minei mezonot on non-bread foods if:
Grain
The Five Grains (wheat, rye, oats, barley, or spelt) make up at least 20% of the food’s flour volume, AND
Cooking Method
Food is cooked or baked, AND
Meal or Snack
You intend to eat the food as a snack and not a meal.
Note: If you intend to eat a full meal that includes mezonot of a cake-like or bread-like texture, say ha’motzi.
For basing the fore-blessing on the main or preferential ingredient in a food mixture and/or saying two fore-blessings, see Fore-Blessings (Bracha Rishona): Food Mixtures: Main Ingredient and Introduction to Food Fore-Blessings (Bracha Rishona): The Five Grains.
Borei Minei Mezonot: Which Grains
Fore-Blessing: Which Grains: Non-Five Grains: In Whole or In Part
Say the fore-blessing borei pri ha’adama (not borei minei mezonot) on cooked or baked foods:
If the Five Grains make up less than 20% of the food’s flour volume, OR
If made of non-Five Grains, such as corn, millet, or quinoa.
Note: Rice is an exception; see next entry.
Rice (including rice bread and rice pasta) gets the fore-blessing borei minei mezonot, but not the after-blessing of al ha’michya (after-blessing: borei nefashot), even if you ate an entire meal of rice.
For corn tortillas (most tortillas are corn tortillas), say the fore-blessing she’hakol (after blessing: borei nefashot).
For wheat tortillas, say the fore-blessing borei minei mezonot (after-blessing: al ha’michya).
Fore-Blessing: Which Grains: Non-Five Grains: Mezonot/Non-Mezonot Combinations
The fore-blessing for ice cream cones depends on which part you prefer to eat:
Situation 1: You like the ice cream more than the cone and would eat it without the cone.
What To Do: Say the fore-blessing of she’hakol.
Note: She’hakol covers the cone.
After-blessing
Borei nefashot if you eat at least 1.3 fl. oz. (39 ml, or 1/6 cup--including cone, if you eat the cone) within four minutes.
No blessing if you eat less than 1.3 fl. oz. in four minutes.
Situation 2: You like the cone and the ice cream equally.
What To Do: Say borei minei mezonot (this will cover the ice cream).
After-blessing
Al ha’ michya if you eat at least 1.3 fl. oz. (39 ml, or 1/6 cup of ice cream plus cone) within four minutes.
No blessing if you eat less than 1.3 fl. oz. in four minutes.
Situation 3: The cone is sweet and you ALSO like the ice cream as much as the cone.
What To Do: Say she’hakol on the ice cream. When you get to the cone, add borei minei mezonot.
After-blessing
Borei nefashot.
Also say al ha’michya if the cone totaled at least 1.3 fl. oz. (39 ml, or 1/6 cup) and you ate it within four minutes.
Normally, for a pie say:
Fore-Blessing
Fore-blessing of borei minei mezonot, even if it contains less than 1.3 fl. oz. (39 ml, or 1/6 cup) of flour.
After-Blessing
To say the after-blessing, al ha’michya, you must eat a total volume of at least 1.3 fl. oz.--even if the flour was a minority of the ingredients.
However, if you prefer the filling to the crust (if you would not eat the crust by itself), say the appropriate fore-blessing over the filling, such as:
She’hakol (after-blessing: borei nefashot), or
Borei pri ha’eitz (after-blessing if on more than 1.3 fl. oz. of the Five Special Fruits--figs, dates, grapes, or pomegranates: al ha’eitz.
Situation: You will eat bread stuffing with turkey. The bread stuffing has at least one chunk of bread at least 1.3 fl. oz. in volume.
What To Do: Wash and say ha'motzi. If you eat at least 1.3 fl oz of the stuffing, say birkat ha'mazon afterward.
Situation: You will eat bread stuffing with turkey. There is NOT at least one chunk of bread at least 1.3 fl. oz. in volume.
What To Do: Do not wash and say ha'motzi, and do not say birkat ha'mazon (unless you eat enough to constitute a full meal). However, if you enjoy the stuffing as much as the turkey or will eat some stuffing by itself, say borei minei mezonot.
Borei Minei Mezonot: Which Cooking Methods
Fore-Blessing: Cooked Dough
Bread must be baked in order to say ha’motzi on it ; dough that was cooked by any method other than baking (such as pasta) gets the fore-blessing of borei minei mezonot.
Note: Even if you eat enough to constitute a meal, you still say al ha’michya afterward.
Fore-Blessing: Fried Bread Batter
See Bread/Mezonot: Mixtures with Other Foods.
Fore-Blessing: Raw or Cooked Grains
If oatmeal is porridge, say borei minei mezonot (after-blessing, al ha’michya).
If rolled oats are eaten without cooking (such as in raw muesli), say borei pri ha'adama (after-blessing, borei nefashot).
On granola, since it is cooked (baked), say borei minei mezonot (after-blessing, al ha’michya).
On granola bars, say borei minei mezonot (after-blessing, al ha’michya).
Fore-Blessing: Cake Batter
Before eating raw cake batter, say she’hakol (after-blessing: borei nefashot).
Borei Minei Mezonot: Intended as Meal or Snack
Fore-blessing for Ryvita and other bread-like crackers :
Ha’motzi if they are normally eaten as a meal —even if you eat only a small amount.
The after-blessing is birkat ha’mazon as long as you ate at least 1.3 fl. oz. (39 ml, or 1/6 cup) within four minutes.
Note: If you ate less than 1.3 fl. oz. or took more than 4 minutes, do not say any after-blessing.
Borei minei mezonot if normally eaten as a snack (after-blessing: al ha’michya) .
Situation: Crackers are normally eaten as a snack, but YOU eat it as part of a meal.
What To Do: Say ha’motzi (after-blessing, birkat ha’mazon).
Bread sticks are intended to be eaten as a snack, so say borei minei mezonot and not ha’motzi (after-blessing, al ha’michya).
Over crackers, say the fore-blessing borei minei mezonot (after-blessing, al ha’michya).
Copyright 2015 Richard B. Aiken. Halacha L’Maaseh appears courtesy of www.practicalhalacha.com Visit their web site for more information.
This material is provided for informational purposes only – not a substitute for the consultation of a competent rabbi.