What's your favourite flavour? Maybe you like your grub nice and spicy? Perhaps you have a sweet tooth? Or are you partial to a salty, savoury snack?

By now you're probably imagining something delicious, but take a moment to ponder this: why do some people adore certain flavours while others can't stand them? For example, oysters. They turn my stomach, but some spend lavishly on the slippery shellfish.

According to celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal, our taste preferences are strongly linked to our memories. Certain flavours might bring back the sounds and smells of a seaside holiday, or an ice-cream might trigger memories of enjoying a childhood treat. This "positive nostalgia" has a powerful effect on how we experience food.

Likewise, our surroundings have an impact on culinary pleasure. The same glass of wine can taste different depending on the background music. Blumenthal believes playing loud music makes people eat more quickly, while classical music makes them spend more money on wine.

Alongside memory and ambience, our genetics also have a powerful impact on taste preferences. Neuroscientist Charles Zucker from Columbia University believes all animals are "pre-wired" to prefer sweet tastes over sour. "There are no lions out in the wild drinking tonic water," he says.

On a more individual level, our personal genetic inherited preferences are significant. "And that is likely to greatly impact how much sugar I want to have in my coffee," says Dr Zucker. "It might be that I need six spoons of sugar to get the same level of satisfaction and reward that you get with only two."

Coffee is also an interesting example of how our tastes change over time. Most children don't like the maltiness of beer or the bitterness of strong coffee. But many adults enjoy the social reward – the relaxing effects of alcohol or the stimulation gained by coffee.

These are what we call acquired tastes – things we gradually learn to like - whether it's because our palates become more sophisticated, or because we crave the social effects of the foods.

For me though, I'm yet to see the allure in oysters, whether social or epicurean!
词汇表
grub （俚语）吃的，食物
(to have) a sweet tooth 吃甜食的嗜好
(to be) partial (to) 偏爱
savoury 咸的
to ponder 仔细思考，衡量
to turn someone’s stomach 让人恶心
lavishly 极其大方地
slippery 滑溜溜的
to bring back 带回来
to trigger 触发
nostalgia 对往事的依恋
culinary 烹饪的
ambience （地点、环境的）气氛
tonic water 汤利水
genetic 基因的
maltiness 有麦芽的感觉
bitterness 苦味
acquired taste 后天培养的品味
palate 口味，味觉
epicurean 美食的