[Halachically Speaking will appear on YWN weekly, Tuesdays and Thursdays]

Walking through the aisles of a supermarket one sees an array of chocolate items for sale such as candies, chocolate cake, chocolate milk, cookies and the like. There are many halachic issues which apply to chocolate. Is one allowed to drink hot chocolate before davening? What beracha is made on chocolate? Is a beracha achrona recited on hot cocoa? What beracha is made on chocolate covered products, such as chocolate covered raisins? How is a chocolate machine kashered? Does bishul akum apply to chocolate? These questions as well as others will be answered at length in this article.

Background – Chocolate Manufacturing

Chocolate starts with a tree called a cacao tree. The tree produces a fruit about the size of a small pineapple. Inside the fruit are the seeds known as cocoa beans. The beans are sent to a chocolate maker who roasts the beans to bring out the flavor. The roasted beans are winnowed which removes the meat of the bean from the shell. This is known as a nib. The nibs are ground into a liquid state called chocolate liquor. Cocoa beans are half fat which causes them to turn into a liquid when ground. If one were to leave the chocolate liquor as is and let them cool and solidify it would be unsweetened chocolate. Another option is to squeeze out the fat from the cocoa bean and one is left with a dry bean which when ground produces cocoa powder.

The chocolate that we eat has ingredients added to it such as sugar, milk (see below), and other flavors. The chocolate goes into a conch which is a machine that makes the chocolate refined and into a smooth paste (see below regarding kashrus). Milk chocolate is a combination of chocolate liquor, milk, sugar and cocoa.

Drinking Hot Chocolate before Davening

Since hot chocolate is a rich drink made with a lot of milk, it is not permitted for adults to drink it prior to davening.[1]

Beracha on a Hot Drink

One should make sure that one can drink the beverage before one recites the beracha.[2] Therefore, one should blow very hot cocoa to cool it down before reciting a beracha.

Chocolate during a Meal

One who eats chocolate during a bread meal has to recite a shehakol on it, as it is not covered by the beracha recited on bread.[3]

Beracha on Chocolate

The halacha is that a food which is normally consumed only after being ground retains its original beracha.[4] The Shulchan Aruch[5] applies this to a sweetened ground spice, since spices are made to be ground the beracha is ha’etz. If this is the case, then the beracha rishona on chocolate should be a ha’etz since it comes from the cocoa bean which is the fruit of a tree.[6] However, the overwhelming custom is to recite a shehakol on chocolate since it is altered when processing into chocolate.[7] Some say the reason for this is since the chocolate in the bean is not eaten as is, and is mixed with other ingredients, it is considered the miyut[8] and the beracha is a shehakol.[9] Others say the reason is because when the bean changes to the liquid state it is a new entity which is not recognizable that it came from a bean at all, in which case the beracha status would change to a shehakol.[10] In any case the custom is to recite a shehakol on chocolate.[11]

B’dieved

One who recited an ha’etz on chocolate was yotzei b’dieved and does not have to recite a shehakol.[12]

Beracha Achrona

There is a big discussion in the poskim if one recites a beracha achrona on a hot drink (i.e. coffee, tea or hot cocoa) since one does not drink the liquid within the shiur allotted for drinking a beverage (kedi sh’tiyas reviis).[13] Some say that a beracha achrona may be recited since coffee, tea or hot cocoa is meant to drink hot, it is the derech, for it to take a long time to drink.[14] However, the opinion of many poskim is that a beracha achrona is not recited.[15] Others say that in order to go according to all opinions, one should let the coffee, tea or hot cocoa cool off and leave a reviisover at the end and recite a boreh nefoshos on that shiur.[16] Some poskim suggest one should put a sugar cube in his mouth so that the beracha achrona on the sugar will exempt the coffee, tea or hot cocoa.[17]

Sucking on Chocolate

Some say no beracha achrona is recited on sucking chocolate without biting it, since it is not the normal manner of eating.[18] In addition, the amount of chocolate that would require a beracha achrona is not consumed within the shiur of kedei achias pras.

Chocolate Products

Chocolate Covered Raisins– If one likes both the raisins and the chocolate, the opinion of Harav Moshe Feinstein zt”l[19] is that two berachos are recited on chocolate covered raisins. First recite ashehakol on the chocolate, and then a ha’etz on the raisins. When reciting the shehakol one should have in mind not to exempt the raisins from a beracha.

Many say that one beracha – on the majority ingredient is recited.[20] If one likes both raisins and chocolate, then if one wants the raisin and views the chocolate as enhancing the raisin, then aha’etz should be recited on the raisin which will exempt the chocolate from a beracha. If he wants the chocolate and views the raisin as an enhancer, then a shehakol is made on the chocolate which will exempt the raisin from a beracha.[21]

The same discussion applies to chocolate covered fruits or other items.

Chocolate Bar with Almonds– Almonds in a chocolate bar are the minority and a enhancing ingredient, therefore, the shehakol on the chocolate covers the almonds as well.[22]

Chocolate Covered Peels– a food which is normally not eaten alone and is covered in chocolate would only require a shehakol on the chocolate. This is common with chocolate covered orange peels.[23]

Chocolate Milk- the beracha on chocolate milk is a shehakol.[24]

Many chocolate products made by Elite in Eretz Yisroel state the beracha to recite on the package.

Hilchos Shabbos – Coloring – Losh

Most poskim say just as there is no problem of coloring food (according to most poskim), on Shabbos, there is no problem of coloring drinks.[25] Others say coloring drinks would be problematic.[26]

The poskim say there is no concern of coloring liquids when putting milk into black coffee,[27] or with placing chocolate syrup into milk. In addition one would be permitted to mix cheese with chocolate butter and there is no concern of coloring on Shabbos (but it must be done in a manner which will avodi any problems of losh).[28]

Writing with Chocolate Syrup

Some for dessert a caterer would like to make a swirl which chocolate etc. on top of a dessert to make it look nice. The question is if this is considered writing which would be forbidden onShabbos,[29] or is only a design and not considered writing?

The opinion of Harav Yisroel Belsky Shlita is that doing so is permitted and it is not considered a design.[30]

Breaking Chocolate with Letters on it

It is very common for chocolate to have images or letters engraved on the chocolate itself. There is a big discussion in the poskim if a food with letters written on top is permitted, or should not be allowed because of “erasing” on Shabbos.[31]

The advice of the Mishnah Berurah[32] is if the letters are not part of the food itself,[33] then one is only permitted to place the food in one’s mouth even though the letters or image will break.[34] A food which has letters written on it from the food itself (i.e. engraved) is permitted to be broken on Shabbos.[35] One is permitted to give any such food to a young child even if he is going to break the letters.[36]

Kashrus of Chocolate – Kashering

Besides dairy chocolate, many products are made with pareve chocolate. Therefore, if a company wishes to make both dairy and pareve on the same equipment, kashering between the two is necessary.[37] Most of the production of chocolate does not require heat except the conch (see above). Chocolate companies are unwilling to introduce water to the chocolate machines, since it can potentially damage the product. An alternative may be to run chocolate through the system once and consider it kashered. However, this approach is a dispute among poskim.

The Rama[38] says that one should not kasher with any liquid other than water,[39] but b’dieved one is allowed to use “other liquids” to kasher.[40] A pressing situation is considered like b’dieved.[41] Based on the above, some kashrus organizations permit a company to make dairy and pareve chocolate on the same equipment after a “kashering” of chocolate in between.[42] Those who dokasher with chocolate do not have to wait twenty-four hours before kashering.[43]

The opinion of the OU is that chocolate becomes solid at room temperature and is not to be used for kashering.[44] This is even if one were to hold like those opinions above that “other liquids”are considered a good kashering.[45] Therefore, their policy is to have two separate systems for pareve and dairy chocolate.[46] Many other kashrus agencies also do not to kasher with chocolate between a dairy and pareve run.[47]

Chocolate Candies to Children after Meat

A child three years and younger does not have to wait any amount of time between eating meat and dairy. One may feed him dairy directly after meat if this is good for the child.[48] However, the child’s mouth should be cleaned out well before eating dairy if it will be right after eating meat.[49] A child over three years old should be trained according to his ability to wait additional time, increasing the time each year.[50] A child 9-10 years old should wait the appropriate six hours.[51] Harav Yisroel Belsky Shlita holds when the child starts going to school he should wait six hours (This is approximately 6-7 years old).

Some say a child should not be given dairy chocolate candies etc before six hours have elapsed since he ate meat, since it is not something he really needs (i.e. supper).[52]

Bishul Akum

Chocolate which is eaten as snack is not subject to the halachos of bishul akum since snacks are not fit to be served on a king’s table.[53] In the event that one is eating a fancy chocolate served at a glamorous meal, then bishul akum may apply, but since the heat from the conches (see above) are generated from the friction of the rollers, it is comparable to an alternative method of cooking[54] which is not subject to bishul akum.[55]  Some say chocolate is always exempt since it is a sweet and not eaten together with bread, so it is not subject to bishul akum.[56]

Chocolate syrup is not subject to bishul akum since it is eaten as a tafel to other foods at a meal.[57]

Milk Chocolate

When milk is added to chocolate, regular milk is not used rather powdered milk is used. Powered milk is used in cakes and cookies as well. Powered milk is made by spraying milk into a spray dyer which turns the milk into a powder. Many poskim are of the opinion that one who is makpid to avoid drinking chalav stam, should not eat a food which is made with powered milk.[58]Although some poskim are lenient,[59] the overwhelming custom is to be stringent.

Chocolate “Gelt”

During Chanukah chocolate gelt is available on the market which says “in G-d we Trust” on it. The question arises how one is allowed to eat it since he is erasing the name of Hashem (albeit in a different language).[60] Some say l’chatchilah one should not purchase such chocolates, however, if they were purchased already they can be eaten since eating is not considered erasing since it is the normal manner to eat it.[61] Others say one can purchase it even l’chatchilah and rely on those poskim who maintain the name of Hashem written in a different language is permitted to be erased. This seems to be the custom of most people.[62]

There is a custom to give a child who is getting his hair cut by his upsherin a piece of cake with honey and a posuk written on it.[63] The reason for it is to open the child’s heart to Torah by licking the honey and eating the cake.[64] Some say that one may eat the piece of cake that contains a posuk because it is made for that purpose and has no kedusha.[65] Others took issue with this and did not permit it.[66]