Fruit & Fruit Products

Question: Why aren't Jews allowed to interbreed plants? Why aren't we allowed to grow fruits like clementines or tangerines? Answer: First of all, it's important to realize that we can't understand the full reason for any commandment. There are different ...

The correct blessing on cantaloupe is Ha'adamah—the blessing recited on "vegetables," or "produce from the ground." When determining the proper blessing to say on produce (other than the five grains – wheat, barley, spelt, oat and rye – or wine), our sole...

Your innocent question is actually quite complicated. I’ll try to make this as concise as possible—so bear with me! First the biblical source (Leviticus 19:23–25): When you come to the Land and you plant any food tree, you shall surely block its fruit [fr...

Apples are kosher. If grown in Israel or from a young tree, more considerations come into play.

Nuts are essentially kosher, but there are more particulars.

On Rosh Hashanah it is customary to eat foods with symbolic importance. According to some, these foods serve as cues to help us focus on the agenda of the day: prayer, repentance and resolution to do good. According to others, the physical act of eating t...

I suppose that you are asking why the apple was specifically chosen from all other sweet fruits—why not, say, a peach or a mango dipped in honey?

Lag BaOmer is the anniversary of the passing of Rabbi Shimon son of Yochai. At one point in his life, Rabbi Shimon was a fugitive from the Roman authorities who were looking to execute him. For thirteen years he hid in a cave in the village of Miron toget...

It’s not often that a fruit gets so much attention. I can’t remember exactly when and how I heard about it (was it on NPR or Quartz?), but around two years ago I found out about a new apple being developed that was poised to be one of the biggest fruit la...

Long before the ancient Greeks, the Bible recorded that the dove brought an olive branch to the ark.