Anas reported that a tailor invited the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to a meal he had prepared. Anas said, "I went with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to that meal. He brought him barley bread and a broth containing gourd. I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ picking out the pieces of gourd from around the bowl, and I have loved gourd ever since that day."
إن خياطا دعا رسول الله ﷺ لطعام صنعه، قال أنس: فذهبت مع رسول الله ﷺ إلى ذلك الطعام، فقرب إليه خبزا من شعير ومرقا فيه دباء، قال أنس: فرأيت رسول الله ﷺ يتتبع الدباء من حول القصعة، فلم أزل أحب الدباء بعد ذلك اليوم.
Malik related it in the Book of Marriage (51) from Ishaq bin Abdullah bin Abu Talha, that he heard Anas bin Malik say it, and then narrated it.Bukhari related it in the Book of Sales (2092), and Muslim in the Book of Drinks (144:2041), both through the route of Malik with the same wording, adding to it, "gourd and dried meat."The apparent meaning of this hadith contradicts the earlier hadiths which contain the command to eat from what is nearest to oneself.Al-Hafiz said, "Bukhari reconciled between the hadith of Umar bin Salama and the hadith of Anas by taking the permission to apply to a case where one knows that his companion is pleased with it, so he titled a chapter for it, saying, 'Chapter on one who follows around the dish with his companion when he does not know of any dislike on his part.'" Sahih Bukhari (5379), Fath al-Bari (9/524).I say, the prohibition in the earlier hadiths should be understood as discouragement rather than absolute prohibition, for the eater may sometimes need to eat from the middle of the dish because of the presence of different kinds of food, since he may prefer one kind over another. Likewise, he may prefer one piece of meat over another. So it is permissible for him to eat what he prefers, as long as he does not spoil the rest of the food, causing people to find it distasteful.