The Brochos for Foods Eaten Together, part 4 vol.1 no.10

1. When a food is coated with a significant coating, e.g. candy or chocolate - covered almonds or raisins, the food which is one's main intention is considered primary and the other its subordinate, requiring no brocha of its own. If he is interested in each food individually, he recites two brochos: Shehakol over the candy and then Hoeitz over the fruit (1). However, because of the general order of brochos it is preferable to first recite the brocha of Hoeitz over a different food and include the almond or raisin in the brocha, and then recite the brocha of Shehakol over the candy. If, however, the coating is not significant, e.g. sugar - coated almonds, the coating is subordinate and requires no brocha. If the main ingredient in the mixture is the chocolate, e.g. almond - filled chocolate bars, the chocolate is regarded primary and a brocha is recited only over the chocolate.
2. As we know, in food mixtures in which both parts of the mixture are generally eaten together with each spoonful no brocha is recited over the subordinate food. After one recited a brocha over the entire mixture, even if he happens to eat some of the subordinate food individually no brocha is required over it. However, if one eats a large portion of the subordinate food individually, e.g. most of the frosting or pie filling, the respective brocha must be recited over it. Similarly, if one eats any amount of a subordinate food before reciting a brocha over the entire mixture the subordinate food requires its own brocha.
3. Even when two foods are not mixed together one of them may be considered subordinate to the other. If the sole reason for eating a food is to enable him to eat another, e.g. eating cake in order to swallow whiskey or cheese for wine, the cake or cheese is considered subordinate and does not require a brocha of its own. Therefore, after reciting Shehakol over the whiskey no brocha is required over the cake eaten together with the whiskey. If, however, one eats the cake before reciting the brocha over the whiskey a unique rule exists and the brocha of Shehakol, rather than Mezonos, is recited over the cake. In this situation the cake remains a subordinate to the whiskey and can not receive its usual brocha. If one's interest, even as a secondary one, is also in the cake itself it is not regarded as subordinate and does require its own brocha. Because of the difficulty in discerning one's true intention, it is preferable to avoid the above situations.
4. In the rare case that the primary food does not require a brocha at all, e.g. one drinking juice in order to swallow a pill, the subordinate food, the juice, does require a brocha of Shehakol.

(1) Igros Moshe O.H. 3:31

Use to go to the next halacha page.

Use to return to the home page or to return to the halacha index.

Kollel Toras Chesed: Meeting The Challenge!