acquired tastes
Cultivated flavor appreciation
Acquired tastes are things you learn to enjoy over time rather than liking immediately.
The phrase typically applies to foods and drinks with strong or unusual flavors—coffee, olives, whiskey, blue cheese—that often repel people at first encounter.
It extends to art, music, or anything that requires exposure before appreciation develops: Abstract expressionism is an acquired taste.
The singular form describes something specific: Anchovies are an acquired taste.
- blue cheeseVeined, tangy cultured dairy
- goat cheeseCheese from caprine milk
- olivesSmall Mediterranean fruits
- raw oystersUncooked bivalve mollusks served fresh
- durianMalodorous tropical fruit
sushi · bitter melon · palate · preferences · black coffee · single malt · umami · anchovies · spicy food · black licorice · modernist literature · cold showers · learned behavior · astringency · experimental film · opera · natto · exposure therapy
acquired tasteslove at first sight
Immediate romantic attraction to stranger
crowd-pleasers · mass appeal · instant gratification · easy listening · comfort food
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