Halacha: What Blessing Is Recited for Halva (Sesame)?

For halva (made from sesame), the initial blessing is shehakol.

After eating, the concluding blessing is borei nefashot.

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The required consumption to obligate a concluding blessing (from "Daily Halacha" based on the rulings of Maran Rabbi Ovadia Yosef ztz"l):

For any food a person consumes, it is necessary to recite the "initial blessing", such as "shehakol" or "ha'etz". Even if only a small amount of the food is eaten, one must bless it if the purpose is consumption. (However, if one tastes it merely to adjust the seasoning, this act requires no blessing at all). Thus, someone who chews flavored gum, even if they swallow very little, must still bless it for enjoying the gum's taste. Similarly, when drinking, even a single drop requires a blessing.

However, this specifically applies to the initial blessing. The concluding blessing is only recited when a "significant consumption" occurs, defined as the amount of an "olive's bulk", which is 27 grams. In drinking, the amount is "a quarter-log", which equals 81 grams.

Moreover, the eating or drinking must occur within a timeframe where the consumption is considered combined. For example, if one eats an "olive's bulk" of bread, crumb by crumb, throughout an entire day, no Birkat HaMazon is recited afterward. Instead, the "olive's bulk" must be eaten within a time span known as "the time to eat half a loaf", a timeframe debated among scholars: some state five minutes, while others suggest around seven and a half minutes (with additional opinions existing). Therefore, it's advisable to always eat an olive's bulk (especially during Shabbat meals) within four and a half minutes to fulfill all opinions.

Similarly, for a concluding blessing on a beverage, one must drink a quarter-log (81 grams) in one go. If one pauses between sips, no concluding blessing is required. Therefore, someone who eats soup with a spoon does not recite a concluding blessing on the soup. Likewise, those who drink coffee or tea when it's hot do not recite a concluding blessing since it's not consumed in one go.