- What grain products receive the blessing of Mezonos:
A Mezonos product is defined as any the five grain product which is cooked, whether boiled or baked, to the point that it is upgraded from the category of Ha’adama, but does not meet the criteria to be upgraded to the blessing of Hamotzi, and is not defined as Mezonos bread, or one does not eat from it to the point of Kevius Seuda, as explained in length in the previous two chapters.
Thus, in total for a product to receive the blessing of Mezonos it must fulfill all of the following conditions:
- The product is made from one of the five grains.
- The product is cooked, whether baked or boiled.
- The product is cooked to the point to that it is upgraded from the category of Ha’adama, but does not meet the criteria to be upgraded to the blessing of Hamotzi.
- If defined as Mezonos bread one does not eat from it to the point of Kevius Seuda.
- The five grains:[1]
A food product only becomes upgraded to the blessing of Mezonos and Al Hamichay if it is made of one of the five grains, [to the exception of rice which is the only other food that receives the blessing of Mezonos, although due to doubt we no longer recite this blessing, as will be explained in chapter Halacha ??]. [To simplify it, the rule is that anything which is made from a flour that is defined as Chametz, can potentially become Mezonos. As we stated above, whether or not it actually receives the blessing of Mezonos is dependent on the other factors including as to whether the grains were cooked, to what extent they were cooked, and not being upgraded to the blessing of Hamotzi]. The five grains are: 1) wheat, 2) barley; 3) rye, 4) spelt, 5) oats.
Wheat/חיטה Barleyשעורה/ Rye/שיפון Speltכוסמין/ Oatsשיבולת שועל/
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Q&A Does there exist various species of the five grains? Yes. There are various species of wheat and other grains of the five grains. All these species are considered under the category of the five grains that can become Mezonos.
Is “bulgur” from one of the five grains? Yes. Bulgur is a cereal food made from the groats of several different wheat species, most often from durum wheat. Bulgur is a kind of dried cracked wheat and is most common in European, Middle Eastern, and Indian cuisine.
Is buckwheat a grain or a legume? Despite its misleading name, buckwheat is not a grain. It is a seed of a plant which looks like grain, hence explaining its name. For all Halachic purposes, buckwheat cannot become Mezonos.
Status of bran:[2] The bran of the wheat/barley etc kernel is considered grain and can become Mezonos.
Status of wheat germ: The germ of the wheat/barley etc kernel is considered grain and can become Hamotzi.
Status of wheat straw:[3] The stalk of the grain of wheat/barely etc is not grain and cannot become Hamotzi.
Status of Gluten:[4] Pure gluten which derives from wheat or another one of the five grains does not have the status of flour and hence cannot become Mezonos.[5] Thus, one who adds gluten to legume crackers, the crackers would nevertheless remain Shehakol.
Status of Seitan: Seitan is a meat substitute made of wheat gluten. It does not have the status of flour as stated above.
Status of wheat sprouts:[6] There is a dispute in Poskim as to whether flour made from ground wheat sprout become Mezoznos when baked.
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[1] Seder 1:7; M”A 208:1; Mishneh Pesachim 35a
[2] See Admur 465:1-5 that Morson [bran] is Chametz, 454:8 regarding Morson Matzah
[3] Admur 465:3 [food is Mutar on Pesach even if found cooked grain stalk in it]; Rama 465:3; Chok Yaakov 454:1
[4] See Vezos Habracha Birurim 24-2 and that so ruled to him Rav Moshe Shternbuch, Rav Pinchus Sheinberg, Badatz Machzikei Hadaas, and so was the leaning opinion of Rav SZ”A; Piskeiy Teshuvos 208:2
Other opinions: Some Poskim question that perhaps gluten should be viewed similar to flour, and hence could make a food become Mezonos if it is added as an ingredient of taste. [See Vezos Habracha ibid]
[5] The reason: Although flour of the five grains is always considered the main ingredient of a food, and hence the blessing of the food should be Mezonos even if it is a minority ingredient [Admur Seder 3:2; Luach 4:2; Admur 168:11; 212:1; Michaber 208:2; M”A 212:1; Rav Kahana Brachos 36b and Rava Brachos 37b], nevertheless, pure gluten is not considered similar to the flour of the grain, and hence does not carry over its Mezonos status. [Vezos Habracha ibid] This is in addition to the fact that it is mainly added for the purpose of making the food texture more elastic, and not as an essential ingredient of the foods taste or satiation ability. [See Admur Seder 3:3; Luach 4:3; Admur 169:9; Michaber 208:2; 204:12; M”A 204:25; Taz 204:16; Brachos 39a]
[6] See Michaber 202:18, Admur 202:21 and Seder 6:21 that the rightful blessing is only said on the main fruit; Igros Moshe O.C. 4:46 [says is Mezonos/Hamotzi]; Bercha Kehalacha [says is Shehakol]; Vezos Haberacha Luach Habrachos Nevet Chita footnote 50;
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