Primary and Secondary

The Sages said: “This is the rule: whenever there is a primary food accompanied by a secondary one, one recites a berakha over the primary and exempts the secondary” (Berakhot 44a). To what may this be compared? To a person who received from his friend a gift wrapped in beautiful paper: it is fitting that he give thanks for the gift, and included in the thanks for the gift is thanks for its lovely wrapping. If he were to give thanks for the wrapping paper on its own, he would be expressing that he did not understand what the gift is, or that it is not important in his eyes, to the point that he equates it with its wrapping. Likewise, for one who eats a primary food accompanied by a food secondary to it, the Sages instituted that he recite a berakha over the primary food and thereby exempt the food secondary to it. However, one must define well when a food is secondary to another and when it is not, and in order to understand the halakha, we will mention many examples in this chapter:

If he had on his plate fish, petitim (Israeli couscous), and potatoes, since each of the foods has importance on its own, he recites over each one its berakha: over the petitim mezonot, over the potatoes ha-adama, and over the fish shehakol. And although the fish is more important to him, and although he intends to eat them literally together, they are not considered secondary to the fish; therefore he must recite over each food its berakha. Likewise, at the end he recites Al ha-miḥya over the petitim and Borei Nefashot over the fish and potatoes.

But if he had on his plate petitim and alongside them an accompaniment meant to flavor them, such as ketchup, tahini, hot sauce (s’ḥug), eggplant salad, or matbuḥa, he recites mezonot over the petitim and exempts the accompaniments alongside them. For the entire purpose of the accompaniments is to flavor the petitim, and were he not eating the petitim, he would not eat the accompaniments. Indeed, if he wishes to taste the ketchup or tahini on its own, in order to enjoy its flavor, he will need to recite shehakol over it. But when the petitim are primary and the ketchup and tahini secondary to them, he recites a berakha over the petitim and exempts the accompaniments.

If, after reciting the berakha over the petitim, he went back and recited a berakha over one of the accompaniments, his berakha is in vain, because the accompaniments were already exempted by the berakha he recited over the petitim. And if before reciting the berakha over the petitim he recited a berakha over the accompaniments – for instance, he first recited shehakol over the ketchup – although this does not involve the severe prohibition of a “berakha in vain,” since he has not yet recited a berakha over the primary food and consequently has not yet exempted the secondary, it nevertheless involves the prohibition of an “unnecessary berakha.” That is, it is a superfluous berakha, since with the berakha he is about to recite over the petitim, which are primary, he will exempt the accompaniments meant to flavor them (SA OḤ 212:1; MB 168:48; 215:18).

Even if, after he finishes the petitim, a little of the accompaniments remains on his plate and he wishes to eat it, he does not recite a berakha over it, for since they were secondary to the petitim, they were exempted by the berakha he recited over the petitim. But if much of the accompaniments remains and he wishes to eat them for their flavor, eating them has independent importance, and he must recite a berakha over them (MB 168:46).^¹

Even bread can occasionally be considered secondary. For example, one who wishes to drink a strong alcoholic beverage and, to dull its sharpness, eats bread with it – since the beverage is primary, he recites a berakha over it and exempts the bread. But if he also wished to be satisfied by the bread or to enjoy its taste, even though his main aim is to drink the beverage, since he is also interested in the bread, by virtue of its importance it becomes primary, and with the berakha of ha-motzi that he recites over the bread he exempts the beverage as well (SA OḤ 212:1; MB 212:5; see above 3:6).