Must a person recite a Beracha before eating the shell of a nut or a peel of a fruit, and, if so, which Beracha does he recite?
The Shulhan Aruch (Orah Haim 202:5) addresses the case of a certain type of almond which becomes bitter-tasting as it ripens. If a person eats this almond before it becomes bitter, the Shulhan Aruch writes, then he recites the Beracha of "Bore Peri Ha'etz," even if he eats only the shell. It thus seems to emerge from the Shulhan Aruch that if a person eats an edible shell, he recites the Beracha of "Bore Peri Ha'etz," just as he would when eating the nut itself.
In light of this ruling, should we conclude that a person who partakes of an orange peel must recite the Beracha of "Bore Peri Ha'etz"?
Rabbi Moshe Halevi (Israel, 1961-2001), in his work Birkat Hashem (p. 51), distinguishes between the case discussed in the Shulhan Aruch and that of an orange peel. When the Shulhan Aruch requires reciting a Beracha over the shells of an almond, he refers to almonds that are grown with the intention that even the shells would be eaten. For this reason, the shells are deemed part of the nut itself and thus warrant the same Beracha that is recited over the actual almond. Oranges, however, are clearly planted with the intent that only the actual fruit would be eaten, as most people do not eat the peel. Hence, Rabbi Moshe Halevi rules that one who eats an orange peel – or the white substance surrounding the orange – recites the Beracha of "She'hakol," and not "Bore Peri Ha'etz."
This Halacha does not apply to an Etrog. The white peel of the Etrog constitutes the actual fruit of the Etrog, and therefore one who eats the white peel must recite the Beracha of "Bore Peri Ha'etz." However, as Rabbi Moshe Halevi writes (ibid. p. 54), this Halacha depends on the particular nature of each Etrog. In many of today's Etrogim the white peel has a bitter taste, and one who partakes of such a peel must recite "She'hakol," rather than "Bore Peri Ha'etz." Thus, before eating an Etrog one must ascertain whether peel has a sweet or bitter taste, and thereby determine which Beracha to recite over the white peel.
It should be noted that this entire discussion applies only when a person eats the peel alone. If he eats the actual fruit of the orange (or Etrog) and in addition wishes to eat the peel, then the "Bore Peri Ha'etz" recited over the fruit covers the peel, as well. (This is assuming that the individual had in mind when he recited the Beracha that he would eat the peel, as well, and that the peel was in front of him at the time.) Thus, in such a case, one does not recite any Beracha over the peel, since the peel was included under the Beracha recited over the orange. (Rabbi Moshe Halevi makes this point in Birkat Hashem, vol. 3, p. 401.)
Summary: One who eats an edible shell or peel recites the Beracha of "She'hakol," unless the given nut or fruit was grown for the purpose of the consumption of its shell or peel. Thus, one who partakes of an orange peel recites the Beracha of "She'hakol." If, however, he also eats the actual fruit, then the "Bore Peri Ha'etz" recited over the fruit covers the peel, as well, and no additional Beracha is recited over the peel. One who eats the white peel of an Etrog recites "Bore Peri Ha'etz" unless it has a bitter taste, in which case he recites "She'hakol."
