Practical Halacha

Bracha Rishona: Popcorn

Say borei pri ha'adama on popcorn.

Bracha Rishona: Hydroponic Vegetables

Say she'hakol on hydroponic vegetables, including bean sprouts.

Note If you don't know how the vegetables were grown, you are not required to research the source of the vegetables: you may assume that they are not hydroponic and say the fore-blessing of borei pri ha'adama.

Bracha Rishona: Fiddleheads

Say borei pri ha'adama on fiddleheads (unfurled fern tops in early spring).

Bracha Rishona: Coconut Water

To drink coconut water:

Say borei pri ha'eitz if you drink coconut water directly from the coconut.
Say she'hakol if you pour the water out of the nut into a utensil.

Fore-Blessing (Bracha Rishona) over Cholent

Cholent blessing (if the cholent is not eaten as part of a meal) follows the most important ingredient and is somewhat subjective to the eater.

German cholent —A variety of wheat is primary; say borei minei mezonot.
Hungarian cholent—Barley is primary; say borei minei mezonot.
Polish cholent —Beans are primary; say borei pri ha'adama.
Russian cholent —Potatoes are primary; say borei pri ha'adama.
If meat is most important, say she'hakol.

Note You may need to say more than one blessing (bracha rishona) if there is no one preeminently important ingredient in a mixture of food types in one utensil, such as a casserole or cholent, but only if:

You especially like more than one ingredient, and
Both (or more than two) of the ingredients can be eaten distinctly.

Fore-Blessings (Bracha Rishona): Food Mixtures: Main Ingredient

Say the fore-blessing (bracha rishona) over the main or most important ingredient in a mixture of foods from various food-blessing categories.
The blessing on the main food covers all other ingredients in the mixture.

Examples Fore-Blessing over Turkey with Cranberry Sauce
To eat turkey with cranberry sauce, saying the fore-blessing she'hakol on the more-important food (turkey) covers the less-important food (cranberry sauce). Even if you eat some of the sauce after the turkey is finished, you do not say a new blessing on the sauce.
Note If you eat cranberry sauce by itself and not with turkey, say:

Borei pri ha'eitz if it contains identifiable pieces of (or entire) cranberries.
She'hakol if the cranberry sauce has no identifiable pieces.

Fore-Blessing (Bracha Rishona): Liquid from Food

When you have said a fore-blessing on one type of food, such as borei pri ha'adama on vegetables, you do not need to say she'hakol on the liquid that remains after having eaten the solid vegetables.

Reason The fore-blessing covers all components, even if they are not the same classification.
Note If you ate the vegetables, said the after-blessing, and then later came back and drank the liquid, you would need to say she'hakol.

Fore-Blessing (Bracha Rishona): Changing Location

The fore-blessing (bracha rishona) must be said where you eat. However, sometimes you may begin eating in one domain and continue eating in another domain. A domain may be any physically limited area (car, house, restaurant, office building) or the outdoors (highway, park, etc.). Once you left the first place, you are considered to have had an interruption of thought (hesech da'at) and are no longer eating that original snack or meal.
Whether you say a new fore-blessing depends on your intention when you said the fore-blessing:

Do not say a new fore-blessing if you had intended to go to the second place, as long as the food at the second place is in the same food categories as what you already blessed on at the first place.
Say a new fore-blessing if you had not intended to continue eating in the second domain, even if you had planned to return to that first place and continue eating.
Exception You do not need to make a new fore-blessing if:
- You return to the first place and even one person who was eating with you is still there, OR
- You had eaten bread or mezonot and then left but had not said the after-blessings of birkat ha'mazon or al ha'michya, even if no one is left from before.
  Reason Since you are required to say birkat ha'mazon or al ha'michya, you are still considered to be continuing your meal.
  Note As long as you are under the same roof, do not say new blessings on food at the new place (such as when switching seats or even rooms in a restaurant).
  Exception Even if you washed your hands and said ha'motzi at the first place, say a new blessing on food that would have required a new blessing at the first place, such as new wine or any dessert other than mezonot.

Fore-Blessing (Bracha Rishona) When Drinking To Prevent Thirst

Do not say a blessing on water that you drink before you are thirsty in order to prevent thirst later.

Fore-Blessings (Bracha Rishona): HaMotzi and Desserts

For details on HaMotzi and desserts, see Which Foods HaMotzi Covers.

Fore-Blessings (Bracha Rishona): Which Level To Say

In general, say the highest-level fore-blessing (bracha rishona) on a food.

Note As some foods get processed by cooking or by other means, they qualify for a higher-level blessing.
Examples

Raw, rolled oats only merit the fore-blessing of she'hakol. But once the oats are cooked, the blessing of borei minei mezonot applies.
Note Raw oats could get the fore-blessing borei pri ha'adama, since they grow directly in the earth. But because oats are not normally considered edible when raw, they get demoted to she'hakol.
A raw grape or raisin gets the blessing of borei pri ha'eitz. But once made into wine or grape juice, it merits borei pri ha'gafen.

Fore-Blessings (Bracha Rishona): Priorities

You must say the blessing which was designed to be said on each type of food. B'diavad, a lower level blessing will still cover the food.
From lowest to highest level, here are the food fore-blessings:

She'hakol,
Borei pri ha'adama,
Borei pri ha'eitz (on common fruits),
Borei pri ha'eitz (on the Five Special Fruits)

Note You will only say borei pri ha'eitz ONCE to include both common fruits and also special fruits that you will eat at one sitting,

Borei minei mezonot,
Borei pri ha'gafen, and
Ha'motzi lechem min ha'aretz.

Incorrect Fore-Blessing (Bracha Rishona) If Food Is/Is Not before You

Situation You say the incorrect blessing over food in front of you but you also have a food in front of you that does fit the blessing.
What To Do You may eat the food covered by your actual blessing, and then say the correct blessing for the food you originally intended to eat.
Note You may not go into a different room to find food that qualifies for the incorrect food blessing. You should instead say Baruch shem kevod malchuto l'olam va'ed as soon as possible.
Note There is no specific time limit beyond which you may no longer say Baruch shem kevod malchuto l'olam va'ed.

Which Fore-Blessing (Bracha Rishona) on Identifiable Produce

Say borei pri ha'eitz or borei pri ha'adama for foods made of identifiable pieces of fruit or vegetables.

Note Even if you know the ingredients in a prepared food--such as grated apples--you must see identifiable pieces in order to say a specific blessing (borei pri ha'eitz, borei pri ha'adama...). If no ingredients are visually identifiable, you must say she'hakol (or possibly borei minei mezonot).
Example Say borei pri ha'adama on a potato kugel with coarsely ground potatoes; if the potatoes are pulverized, say she'hakol.

One Fore-Blessing (Bracha Rishona) per Food Category

Your fore-blessing covers all other same-category foods that you will eat at the same time (same sitting), if:

They are in front of you when you say the blessing, OR
You intend your blessing to cover all other same-category foods that you own and will eat at the same sitting--even if they are not in front of you when you make the blessing.
Note You do not need to state your intention out loud, just think it. If you usually have this intention but you forgot on an occasion, you do not need to say new blessings on the subsequent foods of that type that you already own.

Examples in Your Home

You say she'hakol over two kinds of she'hakol foods on your table. The blessing also covers a third she'hakol food in your refrigerator and a fourth in your pantry that you know you own.
You say she'hakol and are eating an omelette when a visitor brings you a gift of chocolates: you must say a new she'hakol]blessing before eating the chocolates.
Note Anytime your spouse is serving you food, it is assumed that your initial fore-blessings will cover all food that you will eat.

Examples outside Your Home

Guest at Someone's Home
Whenever you are a guest at someone else's house, it is assumed that whatever foods you will eat, will be covered by your initial fore-blessing as long as they are in the same category.
Attendee at Kiddush or Wedding
If you say she'hakol over fish at a kiddush or wedding, the blessing covers all she'hakol foods in the room.
Diner in Restaurant
If you have made an order in a restaurant, all ordered foods will be covered by your first fore-blessing(s). However, if you later order more food, even if the fore-blessings are the same, you must still say a new fore-blessing.

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