Q. Dear Rov. I had a bad constipation problem and I started taking fresh wheat bran with water? What bracha do I say on it? Mezonot? And Al-Hamichya?
A. It depends how the cereal was prepared. Food from the five special grains: wheat, spelt, barley, oats, and rye, when these grains are ground up, mixed with water, and baked into cake, cookies, crackers and other similar products, their brocho is Mezonos and after the meal we recite Al Hamichya.
If the grains remain whole and are simply roasted, they are no different from any other variety of produce which grows from the ground (e.g., corn), and the brocho is Hoadomo.
The brocho on unprocessed or slightly processed (e.g., toasted whole) wheat or oats is Hoadamo. The brocho on fully processed wheat and oats (e.g., flour and water that is baked) is Mezonos. See Shulchan Aruch (O.H. 208)
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by Horav Dovid Pam, Horav Aharon Miller, Horav Chanoch Ehrentreu Shlit’a and Horav Kalman Ochs Shlit’a.
Important Numbers
