Is There a Problem of Bishul Akum in Tabbouleh Salad?

There is a centuries-old question that circulated among the great Torah scholars of previous generations, and the answer and halachic solution they provided became a milestone in halachic concepts for thousands of products in our developing world. An important yet simple question: how is it permissible to eat bulgur...

To better understand the question and its answer, let's start with some background:

Bulgur exudes ancient aromas reminiscent of Iraqi markets, or perhaps even biblical Israel with its ripot dish, but not only. For Turks, Armenians, Syrians, and Lebanese—essentially throughout the Mediterranean region—bulgur has always been a popular food, and it even reached Saudi Arabia, where bulgur is called Najd and al-Hasa, and India as well. Interestingly, today, with increasing awareness of natural food products with excellent nutritional values, bulgur has gained tremendous momentum with consumption growing by tens if not hundreds of percent. In the United States, it is ranked as one of the healthiest foods, and there isn't a self-respecting restaurant that doesn't offer tabbouleh salad, made from raw bulgur, to its patrons.

However, the process of producing bulgur is done in a somewhat surprising way, raising a complex halachic question. Let's start with the first stage, carried out in Turkey, which happens to be the largest supplier of bulgur. Typically, they select hard durum wheat that has been properly dried and ensure the wheat is thoroughly cleaned of all soil and stone residues, and is not infested. For this purpose, the wheat passes through several special sieves with a type of air vacuum that draws in all lightweight wheat grains that might be infested. After the wheat has been sorted and confirmed to have no broken grains, it enters soaking vats to absorb water—but in a controlled manner to prevent starch leakage. Then the water is drained from the wheat, and the wet wheat is transferred to a perforated pot, like a large strainer, which is also placed in a pot of boiling water. Of course, there are various techniques to ensure all wheat grains are cooked evenly while preventing them from becoming too swollen and turning into porridge. Therefore, some factories prefer to cook the wheat in a steam pot with an internal mixer that controls the cooking time and also regulates the amount of water and the filling level of the wheat. The cooking process can take between one and two hours and is always at a temperature of 110 degrees Celsius or even higher, up to 150 degrees, depending on the manufacturer's method. As far as our concern goes, the wheat undergoes complete Turkish cooking...

After cooking, the product is transferred via a conveyor with small compartments to a vibrating surface that bounces the wheat grains and distributes them evenly to dry them. The drying process takes place in several stages at a temperature that is not too cold, until the water content in the wheat reaches about 13%. Then the wheat undergoes a relaxation process for a day or two to harden the wheat and make it ready for peeling.

Although the wheat is peeled, it is still defined as whole wheat due to the percentage of minerals and vitamins that remain in the outer area of the thin peel, which is why bulgur is slightly darker in color. The peeling process is also very interesting—how they manage to control the flow of wheat in uniform quantities between two discs that peel the wheat. After peeling, the wheat is transported to a series of perforated drums that rotate continuously. Each drum has a cutting blade inside placed at a special angle, allowing for even cutting of all wheat grains, and when the bulgur reaches the desired size, it is expelled through the drum holes. Usually, there are three sizes: small, medium, and coarse.

(Photo: shutterstock)

By the way, there are several methods for producing bulgur, but the principle is the same in all of them. However, not all factories maintain reasonable quality and cleanliness levels, and sometimes bulgur is produced in remote villages... But even if we set aside the sanitary issues and assume we're dealing with a modern, clean factory, the question still stands: how is it permissible to purchase bulgur when we know with certainty that the entire cooking process is done by a non-Jew, without any Jewish involvement whatsoever? After all, we have a rule that any food cooked by a non-Jew is forbidden and cannot be permitted again...

Indeed, this question was asked by Maran the Shulchan Aruch, and his explanation of why bulgur is permitted for consumption opens up new concepts for us and a new approach to what may or may not be imported from abroad.

As described in his book Avkat Rochel: "Regarding wheat that non-Jews cook until it reaches maachal ben drusai (partially cooked), and then they dry it to make groats (bulgur), at which point it is not edible at all except through additional cooking, and Maran was asked whether we should say that since they have dried so much, they can be permitted through cooking by a Jew. Response: It seems proper to say in our case, since the entire prohibition is only rabbinical, and there are those who permit these wheat grains, since they have dried so much that they are not edible except through additional cooking, and the first cooking is not noticeable in them, they are permitted. And even those who forbid in cooked dishes [as Maran wrote in Shulchan Aruch (113:9) if a non-Jew cooked like maachal ben drusai and a Jew completed it, it should be forbidden, unless it is the eve of Shabbat or a holiday, or if there would be a significant loss], would permit these wheat grains, since they are not eaten except through new cooking"...

So we have an interesting rule before us. Any product that was cooked by a non-Jew and then underwent some kind of drying, and in order to eat it, additional cooking is required, no prohibition of bishul akum (non-Jewish cooking) applies to the first cooking, even though the first cooking added some value, such as making the second cooking faster...

This rule leads us to a long list of products and how to relate to them. For example, what is the status of rice noodles imported from abroad, which are ready to eat after brief soaking in hot water? And in essence, this is the entire issue of instant hot meals, but we will need to elaborate on this, God willing, on another occasion.

And in conclusion, what about the tabbouleh salad? Will we be permitted to eat it? After all, it is made from bulgur soaked in hot water, without new cooking, and if so, perhaps we should be concerned that the initial cooking by the non-Jew did accomplish its desired purpose, and therefore it is forbidden due to the non-Jew's cooking? According to halacha, it seems more reasonable to permit it, since the normal way of bulgur is to be cooked again, and for every food, we follow the common practice. If so, the non-Jew's initial cooking is nullified.