How Do You Develop an 'Acquired Taste'?

There’s a reason certain foods like bleu cheese, olives, and wasabi aren’t common on children's menus: These ingredients have bold flavors that would likely repel most kids with fully functional taste receptors. However, an interesting transformation occurs as we grow—many of the same children who once recoiled from bitter or intense flavors begin to embrace, or even crave, those very tastes. This shift isn't due to maturing taste buds, but rather a psychological process known as acquired taste.

Paul Rozin, a psychology professor at the University of Pennsylvania, defines acquired taste as any flavor that humans are not instinctively inclined to enjoy. 'You start out with a small collection of inborn likes and dislikes,' he explains to Mytour. 'The rest are preferences you acquire over time.'

Humans are born with a preference for sweet foods and a natural aversion to strong, bitter, or spicy flavors. Therefore, acquired taste isn’t just reserved for foods like durian, liver, or anchovies—foods that divide adults. Any food that doesn’t immediately align with our basic, innate cravings qualifies as an acquired taste. This includes broccoli, hot sauce, beer, pickles, ginger, dark chocolate, miso, and yogurt—all examples of acquired tastes.

How Tastes Evolve Over Time

At any age, people can develop new tastes, though research on when these preferences change is limited. However, it's widely believed that adolescence is a key time for this shift. During this period, individuals are especially influenced by their peers, which may be one of the strongest forces behind acquired tastes. As Paul Rozin explains, 'If someone you respect enjoys a flavor, it can make you like it as well. The preferences of your peers matter a lot, and when celebrities or public figures enjoy something, it can have the same effect. Not always, but often.' So if you saw your older sibling devouring hot wings or watched Anthony Bourdain enjoy offal, that could explain why you now appreciate these foods as an adult.

However, most people don't suddenly develop a fondness for a food just by seeing it on someone else's plate. Typically, acquiring a taste is a gradual process influenced by several factors. One of these is 'mere exposure.' When someone is repeatedly exposed to something—be it a food, a song, a location, or a social circle—they often begin to enjoy it simply because it becomes familiar. The principle of mere exposure helps explain the wide differences in food preferences across cultures. Spicy foods are staples in many Asian, African, and Latin American cuisines, but these same dishes might be unpalatable to someone from Scandinavia. Hot peppers, for example, contain capsaicin, an irritant that produces a burning sensation on the tongue. For those who've never tried a hot pepper, or haven’t eaten many, this sensation can be unpleasant. But for those who grew up with peppers, it’s something they’ve gradually gotten used to.

This phenomenon is not exclusive to foods that cause physical discomfort. In certain European nations, aged cheeses such as limburger, stilton, and camembert are cherished and integral to the cuisine. However, many individuals in East Asia would be repulsed by these essentially fermented dairy products, yet they may delight in decayed fish forms like fermented shrimp paste or fish sauce. In both of these cultures, the inherent aversion to decay remains, but they’ve adapted to these flavors through repeated exposure.

Acquired Taste: A Survival Instinct From Ancient Times

So, why is it that some people come to appreciate the pungent flavor of cheese but not that of seafood? A third aspect influencing this is conditioning. Acquired tastes such as bitterness, spiciness, and sourness are rarely the main flavor in a dish. They are often balanced with more pleasing flavors like sweet and fatty ones. (Though fat isn’t exactly “tasted,” the brain registers it.) After enough Frappuccinos, one might begin to associate the bitterness of coffee with the sweetness of cream and sugar. If they then switch to black coffee, their brain may trigger the same pleasure response it links with the sweeter version of the beverage. This also applies to cheese and fish sauce: Even the most potent cheeses still have salty and fatty qualities, and fish sauce is typically incorporated into dishes that already feature delicious components like meat, noodles, and sugar. Thus, people are not merely craving the strong flavor itself but the association it holds with other more agreeable tastes.

Acquired tastes are integral to nearly every culture's cuisine, with some of the most adored dishes around the world emerging from them. Without venturing beyond their natural food preferences, humans wouldn’t be able to get the essential nutrients required for survival. There’s a clear reason, however, why people aren’t born with a fondness for bitter vegetables and fermented foods—without experience, seeking out these flavors could be dangerous.

Humans have an inherent dislike for decay because the odor and flavor it gives off often indicate spoiled food, which can carry harmful pathogens. Yet, many fermented foods (which are essentially decayed) are completely safe and even provide beneficial bacteria. People lack an instinct for distinguishing 'good' decay from 'bad,' so they depend on the process of acquiring taste to figure out what is safe to consume. This also applies to bitter flavors, which are found in both toxic plants and healthy vegetables.

Rozin states, 'We can’t just eat sweet things and avoid bitter things, so we need a method of acquiring taste, which is based on our experiences with flavors and the results of those experiences.' Thousands of years ago, this meant learning which foods were safe by trial and error. Luckily, our ancestors already did the challenging work of identifying harmful plants from safe ones.

Even though we know the kale on our plate is harmless, we still have to go through the process of acquiring a taste for it so our brains can accept it as safe. 'If you’re a modern human, the culture has already determined what’s safe—you won’t encounter anything dangerous at the supermarket,' Rozin says. 'Thus, you're acquiring tastes, but mainly through repeated exposure and other methods.'

How to Acquire a Taste

Acquiring tastes is a natural process in human development, yet many adults still find certain flavors off-putting. For those looking to overcome their food aversions, 'hacking' the psychology behind acquired tastes is indeed possible.

Rozin knows this process well from personal experience. 'I’ve done it myself,' he shares. 'I’m very sensitive to bitterness, and for a long time, I couldn’t stand beer. But I kept at it. The same goes for hot peppers, which I didn’t initially like, but I spent years learning to enjoy them.'

If you’re someone who wants to develop a taste for raw oysters, your best bet is consistent exposure. Just make sure to enjoy them with lots of condiments, in the company of people who already appreciate them.