A visitor to a supermarket is struck by the vast array of chocolate items for sale, such as candies, chocolate cake, chocolate milk, chocolate cookies and the like. There is also a vast array of 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 is born in 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 roasted to bring out the flavor, and are then winnowed to remove the meat of the bean from the shell. This is known as a nib. Cocoa beans are half fat. Therefore, the nibs turn into a liquid when ground, called chocolate liquor. If the chocolate liquor were allowed to cool and solidify, it would be unsweetened chocolate. Another option is to squeeze out the fat from the cocoa bean. The resulting dry bean can be ground into cocoa powder.

Our chocolate products have added ingredients such as sugar, milk (see below), and other flavors. The chocolate goes into a conch, which is a machine that refines the chocolate and blends it 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 questionable if it is permitted to drink prior to davening.

Beracha on a Hot Drink

One should make sure that he can drink the beverage before reciting the beracha.[1] Therefore, one should allow his hot cocoa to cool before reciting a beracha.

Chocolate During a Meal

One who eats chocolate during a bread meal must recite a shehakol on it, as it is not covered by the beracha recited on bread.[2]

Beracha on Chocolate

The halacha is that a food which is normally consumed only after being ground retains its original beracha.[3] The Shulchan Aruch[4] applies this to sweetened ground spices. Since spices are routinely powdered, the beracha is ha’etz. Accordingly, the beracha rishona on chocolate should be a ha’etz since it comes from the cocoa bean which is the fruit of a tree.[5] However, the overwhelming custom is to recite a shehakol on chocolate since the bean is altered when it is processed into chocolate.[6] Others explain that the chocolate in the bean is not eaten as is, and is mixed with other ingredients. Therefore, it is considered the miyut[7] (minor ingredient) and the beracha is a shehakol.[8] Another explanation is that when the bean is modified to the liquid state, it is a new entity which is not recognizable that it came from a bean at all. Therefore, its beracha would change to a shehakol.[9] In any case, the custom is to recite a shehakol on chocolate.[10]

B’dieved

One who recited a ha’etz on chocolate was yotzei b’dieved and does not have to recite a shehakol.[11]

Beracha Achrona

There is a big discussion in the poskim regarding a beracha achrona on a hot drink (i.e. coffee, tea or hot cocoa), since one does not drink the liquid within the allotted shiur (kedi sh’tiyas reviis).[12] Some say that since these beverages are intended to be consumed hot, a beracha achrona may be recited, as it is the derech to sip them slowly.[13] However, the opinion of many poskim is that a beracha achrona is not recited.[14] Others say that in order to go satisfy all opinions, one should let a reviis of the drink cool off at the end and recite a boreh nefoshos on that shiur.[15] Some poskim suggest that 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.[16]

Sucking on Chocolate

No beracha achrona is recited if one sucks on chocolate without biting it, since it is not the normal manner of eating.[17] In addition, the amount of chocolate that would require a beracha achrona is not consumed within the shiur of kedei achilas pras.

Chocolate Products

Chocolate Covered Raisins – If one likes both the raisins and the chocolate, the opinion of Harav Moshe Feinstein zt”l[18] is that two berachos are recited. First recite a shehakol on the chocolate, and then a ha’etz on the raisin. When reciting the shehakol, one should have in mind not to exempt the raisins with the beracha.

Many say that a beracha is only recited on the majority ingredient,[19] which is defined by personal preferences. If one likes both raisins and chocolate, and views the chocolate as enhancing the raisin, then the ha’etz on the raisin will exempt the chocolate from a beracha. If he views the raisin as an enhancer, then the shehakol on the chocolate will exempt the raisin from a beracha.[20]

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

Chocolate Bar with Almonds – Almonds in a chocolate bar are the minority and an enhancing ingredient; therefore, the shehakol on the chocolate covers the almonds as well.[21]

Chocolate Covered Peels – A food which is normally not eaten alone and is covered in chocolate would only require a shehakol on the chocolate. One example is chocolate covered orange peels.[22]

Chocolate Milk – The beracha on chocolate milk is a shehakol.[23]

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

Hilchos Shabbos – Coloring – Losh

Most poskim say that just as there is no problem of coloring food (according to most poskim) on Shabbos, there is also no problem of coloring drinks.[24] Others say that coloring drinks would be problematic.[25]

The poskim say there is no concern of coloring liquids when putting milk into black coffee,[26] or with placing chocolate syrup into milk. (However, one must avoid any problems of losh).[27]

Writing with Chocolate Syrup

Some desserts are decorated with a chocolate swirl. The question is whether this is considered writing, which would be forbidden on Shabbos,[28] or if it is a simple decoration.

The opinion of Harav Yisroel Belsky Shlita is that this is permitted.[29]

Breaking Chocolate with Letters on it

It is very common for chocolate to have images or letters engraved in the chocolate itself. There is a big discussion in the poskim whether one may break food with letters written on top, or if it is considered “erasing” on Shabbos.[30]

The advice of the Mishnah Berurah[31] is that if the letters are not part of the food itself,[32] then one may not break the food; he may only place the food in his mouth, even though the letters or image will break.[33] A food which has writing engraved in it may be broken on Shabbos.[34] One is permitted to allow a young child to take a piece of food that contains letters even if he is going to break the letters.[35]

Kashrus of Chocolate – Kashering

Besides dairy chocolate, many products are made with pareve chocolate. Therefore, a company would need to kasher the equipment if it wishes to make both dairy and pareve on the same machinery.[36] 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[37] says that one should not kasher with any liquid other than water,[38] but b’dieved one is allowed to use “other liquids” to kasher.[39] A pressing situation has the status of b’dieved.[40] 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.[41] Those who do kasher with chocolate do not have to wait twenty-four hours before kashering.[42]

The opinion of the OU is that since chocolate becomes solid at room temperature it may not be used for kashering.[43] This applies even if one were to follow those opinions that permit kashering with other liquids.[44] Therefore, their policy is to have two separate systems for pareve and dairy chocolate.[45] Many other kashrus agencies follow this opinion.[46]

Chocolate Candies for Children after Meat

A child three years and younger does not have to wait between eating meat and dairy. One may feed him dairy directly after meat if this is good for the child.[47] However, the child’s mouth should be cleaned out well.[48] A child over three years old should be trained according to his ability to wait additional time, increasing the time each year.[49] A child 9-10 years old should wait the appropriate six hours.[50] Harav Yisroel Belsky Shlita holds that the child should wait six hours when he starts going to school (This is approximately 6-7 years old).

Some say that a child should not be given dairy chocolate candies until six hours have elapsed since he ate meat, since it is not something he really needs (i.e. supper).[51]

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 at a king’s table.[52] In the event that one is eating a fancy chocolate served at a glamorous meal, then bishul akum may apply. However, since the heat from the conches (see above) is generated from the friction of the rollers, it is comparable to an alternative method of cooking[53] which is not subject to bishul akum.[54]  Some say that since chocolate is a sweet and not eaten together with bread, it is not subject to bishul akum.[55]

Chocolate syrup is not subject to bishul akum since it is eaten as a tafel to other foods at a meal.[56]

Milk Chocolate

Milk chocolate is manufactured with powdered milk, as are various cakes and cookies. 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 consume powered milk.[57] Although some poskim are lenient,[58] the overwhelming custom is to be stringent.

Chocolate “Gelt”

Chanukah chocolate gelt sometimes has the words “in G-d we trust” stamped on it. The question arises whether one is allowed to eat it, since he is erasing the name of Hashem (albeit in a different language).[59] Some say that l’chatchilah one should not purchase such chocolates; however, if they were already purchased they can be eaten, for eating is not considered erasing since it is the normal manner to eat it.[60] Others say that one can purchase it even l’chatchilah and rely on those poskim who maintain that it is permitted to erase the name of Hashem in a different language. This seems to be the custom of most people.[61]