The Measure of an Olive-Sized Portion of Bread
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Question
Hello, What is the measure of an olive-sized portion of bread for Birkat Hamazon? In regular slices of bread, and if it concerns regular pitas, and if it concerns challah? Can it be weighed on a scale?
Answer
Hello
The measure of an olive-sized portion is determined by volume, not by weight. Only someone who knows the ratio between volume and weight for each product can estimate the measure by weight. There are light foods that reach the measure in just a few grams [like Bamba or rice cakes]. There are heavy foods that only reach the desired volume at 40 grams.
The measure of an olive-sized portion is 27-33 cubic centimeters, depending on different opinions, and to recite the blessing, one should eat the larger measure to be certainly obligated.
It's difficult to provide exact measurements for each product, so I will give an example, and from it, you can infer for other items. A regular slice of bread has about 100 cubic centimeters. Thus, a third of a slice contains the measure of an olive-sized portion.
[There is a book called 'The Whole Olive' that provides precise photographs of hundreds of products according to their true measure, but it's difficult to do this in writing].