Halacha: What Blessing Do You Recite Over Chicken Soup?
Want to know which blessings to recite over chicken soup, both before and after consumption? All the details you need, including an explanation about the required amount of consumption.
- הידברות
- פורסם ו' חשון התשע"ז

#VALUE!
The initial blessing for chicken soup is shehakol (first blessing)
After eating, recite borei nefashot (last blessing)
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Amount required to obligate a final blessing (from "Daily Halacha" based on rulings of Maran Rabbi Ovadia Yosef of blessed memory):
For anything a person eats, they must recite a "first blessing" like shehakol or ha'etz. Even if eating only a small amount, a blessing is necessary if the intent is to eat. (However, if tasting to correct seasoning, a blessing is not needed). Therefore, someone chewing flavorful gum must bless for the enjoyment, despite ingesting only a little of it. Similarly, when drinking anything, a blessing is required even for a single drop.
This applies specifically to the first blessing, but a last blessing is only recited after a "significant eating" amount, which is a portion of "k’zayit," meaning 27 grams, and for drinking, the amount is a "revi'it," which is 81 grams.
Additionally, consumption should occur within a timeframe where eating or drinking is considered connected. For instance, if eating a "k’zayit" of bread over the whole day, crumb by crumb, a blessing is not warranted. The entire "k’zayit" should ideally be consumed within the time of "eating a pras," and authorities differ on this duration, with some saying five minutes and others approximately seven and a half minutes (with other opinions as well). Therefore, it is wise to consume a k’zayit (especially on Shabbat meals) within four and a half minutes to satisfy all opinions.
As for a last blessing on a drink, it requires drinking a revi'it of the liquid (81 grams) continuously. If pauses occur between sips, no final blessing is recited. Therefore, when consuming soup by spoon, a final blessing is not said because a revi'it is not drunk continuously. Similarly, hot beverages like coffee or tea that can't be drunk in one go do not warrant a final blessing.