Question:
We enjoy a mixture that includes peanuts, cashews, raisins, craisins, almonds & chocolate bits. there seems to be an even distribution of the various foods & every handful contains several different ones. What bracha or brachot should be made & how?
Thanks so much!
Answer:
You should make all three brachos. It is preferable to take other foods and make the three brachos on them. If they aren’t available, you may remove a raisin and make hoetz on it,( as it is from the 7 minim and it is preferred for haetz over the nuts). Take a peanut for hoadomo, (as it is a shalem- if it is whole- versus the craisins), and shehakol for the chocolate.
Sources:
This is a difficult question, which touches on a number of controversies in the halachos of Ikar V’tafel. On one hand since the raisins, cashews and almond are all haetz, and it is the bracha that has the largest amount of food here, we might say to make haetz and it is the ikar (see Pischei Halacha1 ftnt 11 and Mekor Habracha in the name of R’ S. Z Auerbach zt”l, Shut Vayomer Avrohom 27 in the name of R’ Eliyashev zt”l). However it isn’t the actual “roiv”, but it is only half, and we also want both here. Besides that, there are opinions that ikar vtofel isn’t determined by the bracha but by the actual food itself, and since no type here is the main, therefore according to them there is no ikar here at all. Besides this we also have the controversy if ikar v’tofel applies to two foods that are each noticeable by themselves (Pri Megadim Intro to Hilchos brachos 11, M:B 212-1, Biur halacha D:H IM, Aruch hashulchan 212-2, that there is an iker here. On the other hand Chayei Adom 51-13 & 54-9, kitzur S:A 48-10 & 54-5, Ben Ish Chai Pinchos 17, Kaf Hachayim 202-60, Shevet Halevi 7-27). It is also questionable if we can say that we should say hoadomo or shehakol on everything since this bracha could include everything (see Birkas Habayis 312-7 brought in Sharei Habracha 15 ftnt 20).
Also see Shut Lev Chaim 2-36, Sharei Habracha 15- ftnt. 26.
