Gemara

Reuven and Shimon (two Talmidim) were in front of Bar Kapara. Cabbage, another kind of Shelakos (cooked vegetables), and meat of a partridge were brought in front of him. He gave permission to Reuven to bless. He blessed on the meat. Shimon sneered at him.

Bar Kapara (to Shimon, angrily): Granted, Reuven acted like one who never tasted meat. (It was Chaviv, i.e. preferable, to him.) However, why did you sneer?!"

Bar Kapara (after he changed his mind): I am angry at Reuven. If no Chacham is here, at least there is an elder here! (You should have asked me.)

Suggestion: Reuven held that the Berachah for Shelakos is sheha'Kol, therefore he blessed on what is Chaviv. Shimon held that the Berachah for Shelakos is Borei Pri ha'Adamah, therefore it has precedence over meat, which is sheha'Kol.

Rejection: No, he agrees that the Berachah for Shelakos is sheha'Kol. Reuven held that one blesses on the Chaviv. Shimon held that one should bless on cabbage, for it nourishes.

40b (Mishnah - R. Yehudah): If there are various foods, one of which is of the seven species, one blesses on it;

Chachamim say, he blesses on whichever he wants.

(Ula): They argue when the foods have the same Berachah. R. Yehudah holds that the seven species have precedence, and Chachamim hold that Chaviv (what he prefers) has precedence;

If they have different Berachos, he must make both Berachos. All agree that he blesses first on whichever he wants.

Question (Beraisa): If one wants to eat a radish and an olive, he blesses on the radish, and exempts the olive.

Answer: The Mishnah is abbreviated. It means that when the radish is Ikar, he blesses on it and exempts the olive. If it is not Ikar, all agree that he blesses on both;

Whenever two species have the same Berachah, he blesses on whichever he wants [and exempts the other];

R. Yehudah says, he blesses on the olive, for it is one of the seven species.

(R. Ami or R. Yitzchak Nafcha): They argue when the Berachos are the same. R. Yehudah holds that the seven species have precedence, and Chachamim hold that Chaviv has precedence;

If they have different Berachos, all agree that he must make both Berachos.

(The other of R. Ami and R. Yitzchak Nafcha): They argue even when the Berachos are different.

Rishonim

Rif (28b): When the Berachos are different, all agree that one blesses on one, and then on the other. He may bless first on whichever he wants.

R. Yonah (DH Aval): The Rif says that when the Berachos are different, he blesses on whichever he wants. Ula teaches two laws. One is that he blesses first on the one he wants more. Since it is Chaviv, he should give it precedence, even if it is not from the seven species, since they have different Berachos. This is even if he prefers to eat it last. He blesses on it first, eats a little, and then blesses on the other. He also teaches that if he blessed first Borei Peri ha'Adamah on the other species, and they brought to him a fruit, he must bless Borei Peri ha'Etz. Borei Peri ha'Adamah did not exempt it. Even though if one blessed Borei Peri ha'Adamah on fruit he was Yotzei, this is when he intended to bless on that fruit itself. Here, when he said Borei Peri ha'Adamah he did not intend for the fruit. Therefore, he must bless separately on it. Borei Peri ha'Adamah did not exempt it. The Rif did not distinguish between whether or not one of the Berachos is better than the other. In every case, he blesses first on whichever he wants. The case with Bar Kapara clearly says that he must say Borei Peri ha'Adamah before sheha'Kol. Borei Peri ha'Adamah is better, for it is specific, and sheha'Kol is general,

Rambam (Hilchos Berachos 8:13): If one had several species in front of him with the same Berachah, he blesses on one and exempts the others. If they have different Berachos, he blesses first on whichever he wants.

Rosh (6:25): If one of the species is usually Chaviv to him, even if now he desires to eat the other species first, he blesses on the Chaviv, eats a little, and then eats the other. Chaviv has precedence according to Rabanan the way the seven species have precedence according to R. Yehudah. When the Berachos are different, all agree that one blesses on one, and then on the other. Rashi said that the radish does not exempt the olive. This connotes that one may bless on either first. If he needed to bless on the olive first, there was no need to say that the radish does not exempt the olive! Also R. Shemayah says so in the name of Rav Hai Gaon. Since he did not specify on which he blesses first, presumably the individual agrees with the Rabim, and he blesses on whichever he wants first. We do not say that the Rabim agree with the individual. Also the Rif says so. This is astounding. Borei Peri ha'Etz is more important than Borei Peri ha'Adamah, for it is more specific! Borei Peri ha'Adamah includes everything that grows from the ground. Borei Peri ha'Etz is only for what grows on trees! In the episode with Bar Kapara, we say that Borei Peri ha'Adamah is more important than sheha'Kol, for it is more specific. I answer that Borei Peri ha'Etz is not so much more important than Borei Peri ha'Adamah, the way Borei Peri ha'Adamah is more important than sheha'Kol. Sheha'Kol is not specific at all. It includes everything!

Tosfos (39a DH Chaviv): If there are two kinds of Peros, Chaviv has precedence. Borei Peri ha'Adamah has precedence over sheha'Kol, for it is more specific. This is even if the sheha'Kol is Chaviv. If he had Peros of different Berachos, and one of them is from the seven species, he blesses first on it, for the seven species have precedence.

Poskim

Shulchan Aruch (OC 201:1): If one had several species in front of him with the same Berachah, if one of them is from the seven species, he blesses on it, even if it is not as Chaviv as the other species.

Mishnah Berurah (1): If not all the seven species are in front of him, or he does not intend to eat from all of them, precedence does not apply.

Kaf ha'Chayim (5): If it is normal to eat one of them first, for medical reasons or this is the custom, e.g. to eat fruits and then drink wine, the always of precedence does not apply.

Shulchan Aruch (ibid.): If none of them is from the seven species, he blesses on the one that is Chaviv.

Gra (DH v'Im): Since Ula holds that they argue only when the Berachos are the same, and one of R. Ami and R. Yitzchak Nafcha agrees, they are a majority against the other of R. Ami and R. Yitzchak Nafcha. The Poskim rule like this.

Shulchan Aruch (ibid.): If they have different Berachos, he blesses first on whichever he wants, even if it is not Chaviv.

Gra (DH v'Afilu): This is like the Rosh, unlike Tosfos. His proof is from "all agree that one blesses [on whichever he wants]." There is no precedence at all, for we do not say that R. Yehudah agrees with Rabanan when the Berachos are different. I.e. then Rabanan agree that one need not bless first on the Chaviv. R. Yonah, the Rashba and the other Poskim hold like Tosfos, that Chaviv has precedence. The Gemara (39a) connotes like this. Even though Bar Kapara holds that one blesses Borei Peri ha'Adamah on Shelakos, (if meat is Chaviv, he blesses on it first). The Gemara rejected the Hava Amina, and said 'all agree that one blesses sheha'Kol on Shelakos.' It did not say that all agree that one blesses Borei Peri ha'Adamah. It is a bigger Chidush that even though one blesses sheha'Kol, cabbage has precedence.

Mishnah Berurah (8): If one of them is sheha'Kol, surely he blesses first on the other, like it says in Sa'if 3.

Bi'ur Halachah (DH Tzanon): This is unlike Bahag's opinion in Sa'if 3 that Borei Peri ha'Adamah has precedence over Borei Peri ha'Adamah, even if the latter is Chaviv. Many Rishonim hold like this. Eliyahu Rabah rules like this. However, the Taz and Magen Avraham follow what is Chaviv.

Kaf ha'Chayim (6): Since the Mechaber permits blessing on either, the custom is to put Borei Peri ha'Etz before Borei Peri ha'Adamah, even if the latter is Chaviv, to fulfill the opinion in Sa'if 3 that requires doing so.

Shulchan Aruch (ibid.): Some say that also in this case he must bless first on the Chaviv.

Mishnah Berurah (9): This is the primary opinion. (All agree that he is Yotzei l'Chatchilah this way, for) also the first opinion lets him bless on whichever he wants.

Shulchan Aruch (ibid.): Chaviv is the one that he usually prefers, even if now he desires the other species.

Mishnah Berurah (11): One who blesses on what he wants has whom to rely on. Some Poskim say that this is considered Chaviv.

Shulchan Aruch (3): If one has Borei Peri ha'Etz and Borei Peri ha'Adamah, he blesses on whichever he wants. Some say that Borei Peri ha'Etz has precedence.