Thursday, May 26, 2016

Halacha Yomis - Granola Bar, Beracha Rishona OU Kosher Halacha Yomis This column is dedicated in memory of: Rav Chaim Yisroel ben Reb Dov HaLevi Belsky, zt'l Senior OU Kosher Halachic Consultant from 1987-2016


Q. What beracha rishona does one recite on a granola bar? (A consumer’s question) A. Rav Belsky zt”l held that the beracha rishona on a granola bar is ha’adoma. Granola bars are made with rolled oats and syrups. Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 208:4) writes that the beracha for raw, toasted, or cooked grains (including oats) is ha’adoma, so long as the grains do not break apart and become sticky (in which case, the appropriate beracha would be borei minei mizonos). The oats in a granola bar do not break down and fuse together during the processing. Rather the oats are merely stuck together with syrup. If one were to wash or melt away the syrup, one would find that the oats remain separate and distinct. Therefore, the beracha on granola bars is ha’adoma. (The beracha acharona will be discussed in the next Halacha Yomis.)

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