Flavor is a human response to the various chemical stimuli provided by a food. Flavor an important property of a food in determining liking. Thus, its characterization from a human standpoint is critical to the food industry. Issues of human liking, preference, differences, etc are assessed using established scientific protocols. There is a compelling desire to instrumentally, or chemically, characterize the flavor of a food as well. This provides a better understanding of the stimuli involved in perception. This article presents a discussion of approaches for the sensory and instrumental characterization of food flavor.