Understanding food and beverage preferences is important given the role that likes and dislikes play in our choices and, ultimately, our health. While both genetic and environmental influences are important determinants of preferences, in this chapter, emphasis is given to the different processes that encourage and maintain preferences, commencing prior to birth and into adulthood. In particular, various forms of learning, including exposure, evaluative, and nutrient conditioning, are crucial, while culture provides the necessary specifics in terms of the actual foods that we learn to like. In turn, the learning processes and cultural influences are modified by our individual characteristics, including genetics and dimensions of our personality.