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Our Sages instituted a special blessing to be said before eating bread, because it is considered so important : “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who brings forth (Ha-motzi) bread from the earth.” This blessing is limited to bread made with one of the five grains (listed above in section 5:2). Ideally one dips the bread in salt or a spread, so the bread eaten right after the blessing is at its best and tastiest.
Since the Bible refers to food in general as “bread,” Ha-motzi covers all the other foods eaten during the meal (such as meat, fish, potatoes, rice, lentils, cheese, salad, cooked vegetables, and the like). They are considered part of the meal because they are filling. Yet dessert is not eaten because it is filling but rather because it tastes good. Therefore, Ha-motzi does not cover it , and one should say a blessing before eating dessert. For example, on fruit served at the end of the meal, one says Ha-etz, and on ice cream one says She-hakol. Nevertheless, there is no separate after-blessing on dessert, as Birkat Ha-mazon covers it.
