It is important to frequently review the laws of Berachot so that one remembers which Beracha to recite over every food. We discuss here a number of common foods, for which the proper Beracha may not be obvious to everyone.
Not too many people are aware of the fact that artichokes grow from the ground. Interestingly enough, the word "artichoke" comes from the Arabic word "art," which means "ground" (related to the Hebrew "Aretz"), and "shoki" in Arabic is an artichoke. In any event, since artichokes grow from the ground, their Beracha is "Boreh Peri Ha’adama."
Humus, or the chickpea, also grows from the ground and thus requires the Beracha of "Ha’adama." Falafel balls are made from chickpeas, and thus, at least in principle, they likewise require the Beracha of "Ha’adama." What makes the situation of falafel more complicated is the fact that the balls usually contain flour, as well. There is a rule in Halacha that any food containing flour requires the Beracha of "Mezonot," unless the flour is added only for the purpose of keeping the other ingredients together. In the case of falafel balls, then, one must ask the store how the balls were made in order to determine the correct Beracha. If flour was added only to keep the ingredients together, then the Beracha is "Ha’adama." If, however, the store uses flour in order to save money on the chickpeas, then the Beracha is "Mezonot."
Popcorn is, of course, made from corn, and thus its Beracha is "Ha’adama," just like corn.
Rice cakes require the Beracha of "Ha’adama." Even though over cooked rice we recite the Beracha of "Mezonot," rice cakes are just puffed kernels of rice, and therefore do not warrant the Beracha of "Mezonot."
Potato chips are thin slices of potato that are fried. The Beracha on potato chips is therefore "Ha’adama," just as on potatoes themselves. This applies regardless of the flavor of the potato chips (onion, grill, etc.). However, Pringles potato chips are made differently, and thus require a different Beracha. The potatoes are ground into flour and then reprocessed into chips. Therefore, the Beracha over Pringles potato chips is "She’hakol," and not "Ha’adama," as opposed to other kinds of potato chips, over which one recites "Ha’adama."
A similar issue arises with regard to cornflakes. Some manufacturers produce cornflakes by grinding corn into flour and then reprocessing it as flakes. In such a case, the Beracha is "She’hakol." Others, however, simply smash pieces of corn into flakes, without reprocessing it, in which case the Beracha is "Ha’adama" – the same Beracha that is recited over ordinary corn. One must therefore ascertain before eating cornflakes which method was used in their production in order to determine the Beracha.
Summary: The Beracha over artichokes, chickpeas, popcorn, rice cakes and ordinary potato chips is "Ha’adama." Falafel balls are made with flour, and therefore the Beracha is "Mezonot," unless the flour is added only to hold the other ingredients together, in which case the Beracha is "Ha’adama." The Beracha over Pringles potato chips is "She’hakol." The Beracha over cornflakes depends on how they were manufactured. If the corn was first ground into flour, then the Beracha is "She’hakol"; otherwise, the Beracha is "Ha’adama."
