The Sages instituted blessings to be recited before eating and drinking. In this context, it is stated in the Talmud, “One is prohibited to derive benefit from this world without a blessing, and anyone who derives benefit from this world without a blessing is guilty of misuse of a consecrated object” (Berakhot 35). This is because the entire world belongs to God, and the recitation of a blessing is akin to asking His permission to enjoy His world. Therefore, one who does not recite a blessing before deriving benefit from the world is guilty of misuse of divine property.

There is no minimum quantity of food for the blessing before eating. Consequently, even if one takes just a small bite of food or a tiny sip of a drink, he must first recite the appropriate blessing.

There are several different blessings that are recited before eating food. There is a specific blessing for fruit grown on trees (Ha’etz), a different blessing for other produce that grows from the ground (Ha’adama), and a general blessing for water and other foods that are not included in the first two categories (Shehakol).

Additionally, the Sages instituted specific blessings for bread (HaMotzi) and wine (Hagafen), due to their special importance, as the verse states, “And wine, which gladdens man’s heart…and bread, to sustain man’s heart” (Psalms 104:15). Other grain-based foods are also considered important, and therefore they too have a special blessing (Mezonot).

Before eating all kinds of bread, including rolls, pita, baguettes, and the like, one recites the following blessing:

“Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who brings forth [hamotzi] bread from the earth.”

There are special halakhot that apply when one eats bread, and they are detailed below in the section “A Meal with Bread.”

For wine and grape juice, one recites the blessing,

“Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who creates fruit of the vine [hagafen / hagefen].”

There are five types of grain recognized by halakha: wheat, barley, spelt, rye, and oats. Before eating a cooked or baked item which is made from one of these types of grain and which is not defined as bread, one recites the following blessing:

“Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who creates various kinds of nourishment [mezonot].”

Bread is produced from a dough that is baked in an oven. However, there are instances where a dough is baked in an oven and does not attain the full-fledged status of bread. This occurs if the dough is prepared in one of the following three ways: (1) The dough is filled with some kind of filling, e.g., turnovers. (2) The final product is brittle and crunchy, such as pretzels or crackers. (3) It is made from dough that was kneaded in a natural juice or with sugar, oil, eggs, and the like, e.g., cake (as opposed to bread, whose dough is kneaded in water). In these instances, the blessing recited over the baked good is Mezonot. However, if one intends to eat a quantity that would comprise a full meal for most people, the HaMotzi blessing is recited. This is because the baked good is similar to bread and is also being used in the same manner as bread, which is generally eaten as a meal rather than as a snack.

With regard to a pastry made from a dough that contains additives such as sugar, juice, or the like, but the amount of water in the dough is greater than the other additional substances, the Ashkenazic community regards it as bread. By contrast, some Sephardic authorities rule that if one can taste the additional substance, one recites Mezonot (unless eating it as a full meal). For example, in the case of a halla or roll with a sweet taste, if it was baked from a dough that in addition to its flour contained sixty percent water and forty percent fruit juice, oil, and sugar, Ashkenazim recite the blessing of HaMotzi, whereas (some) Sephardim recite the blessing of Mezonot.

The blessing of Mezonot is recited over foods such as pasta and couscous, which are grain based and are cooked. It should be noted that the blessing of Mezonot is also recited over cooked rice, despite the fact that rice is not one of the five grains. For other foods that many consider to be similar to a grain, such as corn or quinoa, the appropriate blessing is Ha’adama.

Before eating fruit of the tree, including tree nuts and grapes, one recites the blessing,

“Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who creates fruit of the tree [ha’etz].”

Before eating vegetables or legumes, including fruits that grow from a non-perennial trunk or stem, such as bananas, strawberries, and pineapples, one recites the blessing,

“Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who creates fruit of the ground [ha’adama].”

If one mistakenly recited the blessing of Ha’adama over a fruit of the tree, he has fulfilled his obligation and need not correct himself and recite the blessing of Ha’etz. The reason is that the tree itself grows from the ground, and therefore its fruits are also considered to have grown from the ground. By contrast, in the opposite case, if one recited the blessing of Ha’etz over a fruit of the ground, he must correct his mistake and recite the blessing of Ha’adama. Therefore, if one is uncertain whether the correct blessing over a certain food is Ha’etz or Ha’adama, he should recite the blessing of Ha’adama, as he thereby certainly fulfills his obligation.

For all other foods and drinks, e.g., milk and dairy products, eggs, meat, fish, drinks, etc., one recites the blessing,

“Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, by whose word all things [shehakol] came to be.”

The blessing of Shehakol is a general blessing; therefore, if due to error or lack of knowledge one recited this blessing on fruit, pastry, or even bread or wine, he has fulfilled his obligation and does not recite another blessing.

If one has a variety of foods and beverages, such as cake, wine, fruit, vegetables, and fish in front of him, and he wishes to eat them all, he must recite all the blessings in order of importance, and eat each item immediately after its blessing. The most important blessing (apart from the blessing of HaMotzi, on bread) is Mezonot. Therefore, he should eat some of the cake first. After the cake he should recite the second-most important blessing, which is Hagafen, and drink the wine. Then he recites Ha’etz and eats the fruit, followed by reciting Ha’adama and eating the vegetable. Finally, he recites the blessing of Shehakol and eats the fish.

The Torah lists seven species for which the Land of Israel is praised: “A land of wheat and barley, and grapevines, and figs, and pomegranates; a land of oil olives and [date] honey” (Deuteronomy 8:8). As these fruits are of special importance, one who plans to eat ordinary fruits (apple, pear, plum, etc.) and also fruits of the seven species should recite the blessing over the fruits of the seven species. The order of the appearance of the seven species in the verse is also significant. The more closely a fruit follows one of the two mentions of the word “land” in the verse, the more important it is considered, and one would recite the blessing over that fruit rather than one of the others mentioned in the verse. Accordingly, this is the order of importance of the fruit of the seven species: olives, dates, grapes, figs, and pomegranates.