What is the Beracha for Stuffed Chicken, Stuffed Artichoke and Stuffed Avocado

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

If a person eats chicken which is prepared with stuffing – such as rice – how many Berachot does he recite? Must he recite two separate Berachot – "Mezonot" on the rice and "She'hakol" on the chicken – or should he recite just one Beracha? And if he must recite only one Beracha, which Beracha does he recite? The Halacha in this case depends on how one eats the chicken. If he eats the chicken and stuffing together, then they are considered a mixture, and since the chicken is the primary food, he recites "She'hakol" over the chicken and this Beracha covers the stuffing. Usually, however, when one opens the stuffed chicken the stuffing is moved to the side and eaten separately. In such a case, one would recite two separate Berachot – – "Mezonot" on the rice and "She'hakol" on the chicken. (Obviously one would recite only one Beracha Aharona after eating – "Boreh Nefashot" – which is the Beracha required for both rice and chicken.) Similarly, if a person eats stuffed artichoke, and the stuffing is made from meat, the number of Berachot required depends on how he eats it. If he eats the stuffing and artichoke separately, then he recites two separate Berachot – "Ha'adama" on the artichoke, and "She'hakol" over the meat stuffing. If, however, he eats the stuffing and artichoke together, then he recites only "Ha'adama" over the artichoke, which is considered the primary food, and this Beracha covers the stuffing, as well. This is the ruling of Hacham David Yosef, in his Halacha Berura. Often, at catered affairs, guests are served avocado stuffed with tuna fish, with the avocado being used as a cup of sorts to hold the tuna. The Yalkut Yosef notes that according to the Hayeh Adam (Rav Avraham Danzig of Vilna, 1748-1820), two foods served in this manner are treated as separate foods with respect to Berachot, and, in any event, it is difficult to ascertain which of the two foods is primary and which is subordinate. As such, one should recite two Berachot – "Ha'etz" over the avocado, and "She'hakol" over the tuna. Summary: If one eats chicken with stuffing, and he eats the chicken and stuffing mixed together, he recites "She'hakol" over the chicken and this Beracha covers the stuffing, as well. If he eats them separately, he recites two separate Berachot. If one eats artichoke with meat stuffing, he recites "Ha'adama" over the artichoke, and this covers the stuffing, as well, but if he eats them separately, he must recite separate Berachot. If one eats avocado stuffed with tuna, in all cases he recites two separate Berachot.