Which food to eat first

Dear Rabbi, I know that one has to prioritize the Brachot like Me’zonot before Ha’gefen. lately, I heard that even two foods of the same Bracha, one has to know which one to choose to eat first and recite the Bracha, can you explain this to me? Thank you for your time.

Yes of course, people think since it’s the same Bracha then it doesn’t matter which one to recite the Bracha, but really there is a whole Siman in the Shulchan Aruch 211, which we will now clarify.

The order is (זשח"ג), Shivat Haminim, a food that is whole (unbroken), a food one likes and favors more than the other, the bigger one between the two foods. (1)

Now I will explain each one of these categories,

Shivat Haminin ; these are the seven fruits that Eretz Yisroel was blessed with and they are; wheat, barley, grapes, dates, pomegranates, olives, and figs.

Let's say you are planning to eat, a broken biscuit made of wheat and a cake made of spelt. Since wheat is Shivat Haminim, one should make the Bracha Mezonot on the broken wheat biscuit, even if the cake which is made of spelt, is whole and you may even like it more, because the category of Shivas Haminim overrides the other advantages.

Whole; for example, a person is intending to eat two foods that are both Ha’dama, one is a whole cucumber, and one is a sliced paprika. The Bracha should be recited on the whole cucumber. This applies even if one favors more the half paprika since the advantage of a whole food overrides it.
Another example; Two cakes, one is whole and one is a slice, you should recite the Bracha on the cake that is whole,(one should slice the cake, only after reciting the Bracha).
This applies even to two very small foods, like half a hazelnut and a whole pistachio, the Bracha should be recited on the pistachio.

The food that is more liked ; If there are two foods, both either broken or of the same kind. For example, if a person intends to eat an apple and a peach, generally he likes and favors the peach more than the apple, then he should recite the Bracha on the peach.

The bigger food; One who intends to eat two foods that both are of the same kind, and both are either broken or whole, and he likes them equally, then one should recite the Bracha on the bigger food. For example, there are two rolls one intends to eat, one small one big, then you should recite the Bracha on the bigger roll.
The same too when one intends to eat, an apple and a hazelnut (he likes them both equally), he should recite the Bracha Pri Ha'ets on the apple.

The poskim (2) add one more criteria; baked food has priority over cooked or fried food, for example, if one intends to eat a cake and a Yerushalmi kugel (made of cooked spaghetti), one should recite the Bracha Mezonot on the cake.
Same too, if one intends to eat bisseli, cake, and croutons, then you should recite Mezonot on the cake which was baked since the others were fried.

In a case where both fruits are identical, like two apples, if one of them is from Erets Yisroal or from a Seudas Mitsva or it was used for a mitsvah, for example, Eruv Tavshilim or fruits like apples or nuts that Hashem in the Pesukim describes Am Yisrael with (3), or etrog jam, all these foods are more special and should therefore recite the Bracha on them.

Ok, now we have clarified which one of the foods to recite the Bracho on, we nevertheless have to keep in mind, that if by mistake one recited the Bracha on the wrong food, his Bracha is valid. With regard to the other fruit; if it is a more respected fruit e.g., one intends to eat an apple and a date, and by mistake, he recited the Bracha on the apple, does he have to recite another Bracha on the date? It depends if he had in mind the date when he recited the Bracha then he is exempt from making another Bracha on the date however if he did not have in mind the date, then he has to recite another Bracha for the date (if one liked the apple more than the date then he doesn’t need to repeat the Bracha. If one is a guest and after reciting the Bracha on the apple they brought him the date, he doesn’t need to repeat the Bracha.). This only applies to such a kind of mistake (of a respected fruit), however, if the mistake was that he didn’t recite a blessing on the ‘whole’ food or ‘bigger’ food then in all cases he doesn’t need to repeat the Bracha.

(1)  Sholchan aruch orach chaim 211

(2)  Rashbo Mesechet Brachot page 41, Shulchan Aruch Harav siman 211.

(3)  Kaf Hachaim 7