Rice vinegar, if it counts. Gives a tangy zip to lots of things.

Salivating uncontrollably while reading the comments…

So, since it’s not mentioned yet, I 'll go with mushroom powders. Flavor and properties depend on which kinds of dried mushrooms are used, but they are just an incredible ingredient to add!

Asafoetida. When uncooked, the smell fits the hype of the various names from around the world: stinking gum, devil’s dirt, devil shit, satan’s shit, etc. Cooked, it tastes and smells like a very umami cross between garlic & leeks. Common in Indian cuisine, particularly vegetarian dishes.

Oh I went to a fancy Japanese restaurant once and spent waaay too much money to try tuna belly sushi. Somehow it was worth the price.

Msg

Edit: and real peanut butter (crushed peanuts w/ peanut oil)

For me it was real parmesan. I didn’t realise how bad the packet stuff was until I bought a block of aged parmesan, now I can never go back.

The rind goes well in soup stock too

In season tomatoes from the farmers market or garden. I went from “ew, raw tomatoes” to “omg, delicious”.

Spanish smoked paprika. Saffron. Ramps. One day I’m going to find a recipe that uses all of them and then I’ll eat nothing else.

Don’t know about “hype” but recently cabbage has become something i always have in the fridge. It stays fresh for very long (at least compared to lettuce), in almost every place where lettuce is normally used i prefer cabbage, cheap, nutritious and versatile, easy to throw in soups, stews or whatever you are cooking.

Dashi powder. It’s the missing ingredient that made my homecooked japanese dishes taste just not good enough.

Kimchi on my second time. I realized I just had bad kimchi when I tried it years ago. Now I can afford authentic and fresh kimchi, I put it on lots of stuff.