Chapter 54 : Laws Relating to Primary and Secondary Foods

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§1

If you eat two articles of food, or you eat and drink, one of which is primary to you while you regard the other as secondary, [that is to say] you would never have eaten [the secondary food], if you had not partaken of the primary food, [in other .. words] if not for the primary food, you would not have eaten the secondary food at all. For example, if you feel faint, and, in order to fortify yourself, you eat herring or radishes, but since they have a sharp flavor, you also eat a small piece of bread or something else to soften the sharp taste, or if you crave a drink of whiskey and you have one, and in order to soften the sharp taste, you eat a small piece of bread or some fruit afterwards, then you say the berachah only over the Primary food, but over the secondary food no berachah should be said; neither a preceding, nor a concluding berachah, because it is exempt with the berachah you recited over the primary food. Neither does it require the washing of the hands.

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§2

This rule [regarding secondary food] applies only to a case when you eat the primary food first and the secondary food later, and at the time you said the berachah over the primary food, you also had in mind to eat the secondary food, or you usually eat them in that manner, which is then considered as though you purposely intended [to exempt the secondary food with the berachah over the primary]. You must therefore eat the secondary food in the same place. This rule would be excluded if you did go to another room before [eating the secondary food], for then you would have to say a berachah over the secondary food as well.

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§3

Similarly, if you eat the secondary food before eating the primary food, for example, if you wish to drink wine or whiskey, and in order not to drink it on an empty stomach you first eat a little snack, then you must also say a berachah over the secondary food. However, since it is only secondary, some authorities maintain that the berachah was brought down to a lower level and you say only Shehakol over it; but others disagree. In order to remove any doubt, you should drink first a little of the primary food [wine or whiskey], say the berachah over it, and thereby you exempt the secondary food [from a berachah].

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§4

If you wish to partake of two articles of food [each for its own sake], for example, you are going to drink whiskey and also eat some pastry, honeycake, preserves, or the like, you should say a [separate] berachah over each; first, the berachah over the cake or the preserves because they are considered more important and then the berachah over the whiskey. Especially, if you eat some pastry and also drink coffee, you should say a separate berachah over each; that is to say, first over the pastry and then over the coffee, because you had in mind to eat both.

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§5

[If you eat] two different kinds [of food] that were cooked together, and each kind is recognizable, you must say over each kind the berachah that is appropriate for it. But if the foods were mashed and cling together, we apply the rule of "follow the majority," and that which is predominant is considered the primary food over which the berachah is said, and this exempts the secondary food. However, if one kind is of the five species of grain, even if it is the least in quantity, it is considered the primary ingredient as I have written. See chapter 48:10.

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§6

It you add milk or soup to a dish with the intention of eating the two together, if your main intent is [to eat] the food, then you say the berachah over that only, since the milk or the soup is only secondary. But if your intent is primarily the soup or the milk, you recite the berachah over them, for then the food is secondary. But if you care equally both (and each requires a different berachah), you first say the berachah over the food, eat some of it, and then say the berachah over the soup or the milk. In this case the "majority rule," [which dictates that you say the berachah over the food that is in greater quantity] does not apply. Even if the food consists of a grain product, it is not considered important in this connection. (Regarding foods boiled in water or milk see chapters 48 and 53.)

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§7

In a mixture of ground spices and sugar, the spices are considered the primary ingredient, thus you should say the appropriate berachah over them. Over nutmeg, you say Borei peri ha'eitz, over cinnamon Borei peri ha'adamah, and over ginger, you say Borei peri ha'adamah.

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§8

If you drink olive oil in its natural state, you say no berachah at all because it is harmful to your [health], but if you mix [the oil] with other ingredients it becomes secondary, and you say the berachah only over the primary ingredient. However, if you are ill and you must drink [the oil] for medicinal purposes, but in order to prevent its harmful side effects, you mix it with another substance; since the oil is the primary element, even if it is less in quantity [than the other ingredient], you say the berachah over [the oil] which is Borei peri ha'eitz, and thereby you exempt the other ingredient. If you are thirsty and you drink [a beverage] to quench your thirst, but, as a supplement, you add olive oil to it for health reasons, then you say the berachah only over the beverage. This law applies also if you add muscatels, cinnamon, or ginger to the beverage, for you must always consider your main objective.

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§9

In all kinds of preserves the honey and the sugar are secondary [ingredients]. You should recite the berachah which is appropriate for the fruit, which is the primary component. (See Chapter 52 above).