31 Dec THE HALACHOS AND KASHRUS OF CHOCOLATE

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. 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.
Beracha on Chocolate
The halacha is that a food which is normally
consumed only after being ground retains its
original beracha. The Shulchan Aruch 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. However, the
overwhelming custom is to recite a shehakol on
chocolate since the bean is altered when it is
processed into chocolate. 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 (minor ingredient) and
the beracha is a shehakol. 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. In any
case, the custom is to recite a shehakol on
chocolate.

B’dieved

One who recited a ha’etz on chocolate was
yotzei b’dieved and does not have to recite a
shehakol.
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). 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. However, the opinion of many poskim
is that a beracha achrona is not recited. 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.
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.
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. 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 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, 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.
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.
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.
Chocolate Milk – The beracha on chocolate
milk is a shehakol.
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. Others say that coloring drinks would
be problematic.
The poskim say there is no concern of coloring
liquids when putting milk into black coffee,
or with placing chocolate syrup into milk.
(However, one must avoid any problems of
losh).
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,
or if it is a simple decoration.
The opinion of Harav Yisroel Belsky Shlita is
that this is permitted.
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.
The advice of the Mishnah Berurah is that if
the letters are not part of the food itself, then
one may not break the food; he may only place
the food in his mouth, even though the letters
or image will break. A food which has writing
engraved in it may be broken on Shabbos. 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.
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. 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 says that one should not kasher with
any liquid other than water, but b’dieved one
is allowed to use “other liquids” to kasher. A
pressing situation has the status of b’dieved.
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. Those
who do kasher with chocolate do not have to
wait twenty-four hours before kashering.
The opinion of the OU is that since chocolate
becomes solid at room temperature it may not
be used for kashering. This applies even if
one were to follow those opinions that permit
kashering with other liquids. Therefore, their
policy is to have two separate systems for
pareve and dairy chocolate. Many other kashrus
agencies follow this opinion.
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. However, the child’s mouth
should be cleaned out well. A child over three
years old should be trained according to his
ability to wait additional time, increasing the
time each year. A child 9-10 years old should
wait the appropriate six hours. 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).
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. 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 which is not subject to
bishul akum. Some say that since chocolate is
a sweet and not eaten together with bread, it is
not subject to bishul akum.
Chocolate syrup is not subject to bishul akum
since it is eaten as a tafel to other foods at a
meal.

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. Although some
poskim are lenient, 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). 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. 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.