Yuzu kosho. I discovered it when I started cooking with the donabe. I was inspired by the cookbook, Japanese Hot Pots which I read about here. It is a big ingredient in their second cookbook, The Japanese Grill.

Speculoos (Biscoff) spread!! It must be what heaven tastes like...

Homemade ricotta cheese. So easy to make and so much better than store bought.

Aleppo pepper: I can't believe how fast I am going through my container of it. Love it in Smitten Kitchen's cornbread or just sprinkled on sauteed kale.

Farro perlato: While a little pricey I love having a grain with all the substance and chew of barley and brown rice but that cooks in only 25 minutes. It makes some of my most mundane meals seem fancy.

I am shocked MSG made it to the list. After all the bad health effects and the desire to promote MSG-free food, MSG really shouldn't have made it to this list. It's a chemical, people!!

Sriracha!! It is the most delicious hot sauce and it makes everything (probably even ice cream) yummy. And Stilton Blue Cheese is my new cheese lover.

Ditto Sriracha.

@KatiePew, have you seen The Oatmeal's homage to Sriracha?

Many foods contain glutamate, which provides an umami flavor. Yes, many people get sick from it (it gives my mom horrible migraines), but it exists naturally in so many foods it is hard to avoid. Also, I remember a chef-friend telling me that his professor at the Culinary Institute taught them that to make true Chinese food, you have to add MSG.

I always hated olives my whole life and then my boyfriend made me try a green one (picholine) and now I crave them ALL.THE.TIME! I get a HUGE container from the olive bar at the supermarket every week. i <3 olives!

Sriracha and mussels have made 2011 infinitely more awesome!

Oh, Biscoff spread for sure! I first saw it in October in the Biscoff store during our San Francisco vacation, but I didn't buy any because we were doing carry-ons only. I love all things Biscoff, so I thought I was doing myself a favor. Then I saw that the World Market up the street from my house carried it. A couple of weeks ago, I discovered that Fresh & Easy also carries it. Oh, it's so tasty.

And this isn't food, but it is food related: I bought my first smoker this past May, and I love it! I want to try smoking some oats so I can try to remake Ditty's Irish Smoked Oatcakes that I love so much! Everything I've smoked has turned out awesome, and Fall Dinner was built around a wonderful smoked pork loin. I'm glad that Phoenix's weather is almost always prime for smoking!

Pomegranate Molasses. Makes incredible glazes for grilled meats, lovely drizzled on almost anything for a sweet/tart hit.

If MSG is a 'bad chemical', so is salt. Why is it ok that truffle salt made the list?

For me, Lucques olives.

Popcorn + Sriracha + parmesan.

(Add the Sriracha to melted butter before pouring it over the popcorn.)

You're welcome.

lol @ MSG

I think it's arugula for me. I've been putting it in everything this year! It's especially yummy with olive oil and garlic as a pizza "sauce" - goes underneath all the cheese and toppings.

2012 shall be the year of quinoa and seitan. I'm always a little behind with food trends, whatever. Better late than never!

I would have to say caramelized white chocolate. As well as high quality products in all categories... What was I thinking before, buying margarine?!

Wow, Kris0218, thank you for that suggestion!

Roasted radishes! I've never been much of a radish fan until I tried them roasted as recommended by The Kitchn commenters.

And also harissa. Heard about it, figured I'd like it but didn't get around to trying it until a couple of months ago. So good!

truffle salt, fig vinegar, buratta all are on my very long list.

and homemade cheese! i can't believe how easy some of this really is.

Also, @ATN654, MSG isn't a simple salt - it's a processed chemical: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monosodium_glutamate#Production_and_chemical_properties

It can make people quite sick, causing migraines, bloating, indigestion (and all that that entails - I won't paint you a picture, but trust that it ain't pretty, heh.), chest pains, an insatiable thirst that lasts for hours...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glutamic_acid_(flavor)#Safety_as_a_flavor_enhancer

It's commonly used in cheaply produced, processed foods, such as frozen dinners or jarred gravy/sauces, because it's more affordable than using real spices to enhance flavor.

Hahaha, yay! Mine caused the most controversy (I said MSG in the original post). Mostly I was joking because I knew it would push some people's buttons, but not really joking, because I do use MSG occasionally when cooking for myself.

For what it's worth, I do not have any adverse reactions to it, and would not serve MSG-y food to anyone else without warning them first, of course.

Kris0218, it's a sensitivity for a small portion of the population. Yes, it can do all those bad things to people, IF they are sensitive to it. Most people aren't, as indicated by the numerous foods sold that have MSG. I just disagree that it's bad because it's a 'chemical'. Everything is a chemical when you get right down to it.

Ha, sorry - I didn't mean to sound snarky, just informative! You're totally right, it does only affect people with a sensitivity to it. (Which my father and I both have, so I'm extremely wary of it, obvs.) And I agree that plenty of things are labelled as evil when they're really not. I just was pointing out why people have a different reaction to it than things like truffle salt. :)

huitlacoche!
I haven't cooked with it yet, but I had it on a taco at Big Star in Chicago and it's AMAZING!
Also know as Corn Smut, but in 1989 the James Beard Foundation tried to 're-brand' it as the Mexican Truffle.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corn_smut
www.rootpursuits.com

Well, though not a food item, I finally learned this year that the world won't end if I don't follow a recipe exactly. So liberating!
Martha

Delicata Squash

Ingredients - za'atar, avocado, cremini mushrooms, butternut squash, kale, flax, whole wheat flour

Techniques - cooking bacon in the oven, poaching an egg

I recently introduced my sweet husband to real wintergreen winter-berries on a recent hike around our woods...so delicate and refreshing if you don't mind a quick forage.

"...to make true Chinese food, you have to add MSG." I suppose that's true of most Chinese restaurant/takeout food, unfortunately. Mainly, MSG is used to disguise poor quality ingredients.

vanilla bean paste. i use it in everything sweet and it's so lovely.

Ponzu sauce. Soy sauce with a lemony undertaste. Brightens everything.

Nigella Lawson has a fabulous holiday cake...search for The Clementine Cake...which relies on almond meal, no flour, if memory serves. Her recipe instructs you to grind your own raw almonds to a powdery consistency, but why bother when you can buy it already ground?

I discovered za'atar in a Nigella cookbook years ago, but only this year did I realize two things: I only REALLY love the versions with lots of sumac in them - Penzey's is the best. Also, popcorn with olive oil and za'atar is my new favorite healthy thing.

Now, however, I'm going to make a sriracha and parmesan batch of popcorn very soon.

I discovered Siracha, when I married a girl from Thailand. It is a marvelous spicy/sweet blend that is unique. fabulous on egg rolls, or any dim sum.

Fish Sauce!

Lemon Olive Oil
Kai Lan - my new favorite green!
Himalayan Pink Salt

Meat cuts: tri-tip (on the smoker), bottom round roast (for rare roast beef from the oven).

Fruits and veggies: kale, kale, kale. I love that we're still eating this fresh from the garden in mid-December in Ohio.

Spices: roasted anything (cumin, curry, paprika).

And homemade pasta has now completely replaced store-bought in our house.

Wine: PORTUGAL!! It's the new Argentina/Chile. (I know it's not food, but it's hard to eat without it.)

"Also, @ATN654, MSG isn't a simple salt - it's a processed chemical: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monosodium_glutamate#Production_and_chemical_prope"

from the linked article:
"Currently, most of the world production of MSG is by bacterial fermentation in a process similar to wine, vinegar, yogurt and even chocolate. During fermentation, selected bacteria (coryneform bacteria) cultured with ammonia and carbohydrates from sugar beets, sugar cane, tapioca or molasses, excrete amino acids into the culture broth from where L-glutamate is isolated."

I'm with ATN654, the MSG hate is kind of ridiculous. If it makes you sick, that's too bad, but don't expect the world to hate it just because you do. Peanuts are capable of straight up killing some people, but unless I'm cooking for someone with that allergy, I'mma use peanuts like crazy, because they are delicious. If you don't like, spare me the lecture, since I 100% don't care.

- good olive oil (doing your research & paying a bit more is infinitely worth the results)
- kiwi berries
- pink salts (usually = more minerals)
- beet greens are like unevolved chard (in the same family) = good sautee addition
- adding flax seed to smoothies
- my first crockpot
@ pleioven : so happy you've joined the arugula bandwagon!

OMG, shut up about MSG. Most people have no side effect. Those that do: avoid it, just like anyone else with an allergy avoids a particular food. Just because one person needs to avoid peanuts or gluten or soy doesn't mean everyone has to. All foods are made up of chemical compounds, just because it's manufactured, doesn't mean we shouldn't eat it.....if that were true we'd have to cut out all fermented and processed foods, including beer, bread, cheese, yogurt, etc.
We'd also have to give up on all medicines, from those as simple as aspirin to those as critical as insulin.

Ugh. So tired of the MSG righteousness.

Kefir. I'd passed it in the grocery store from time to time, but I tried it for the first time this year. I can't believe I left it sitting in the store for this long. Also, black truffle butter. Good in pasta, and (in my opinion, anyway), very good in mashed potatoes.

where do i find coconut flour?

As to Trader Joe's Almond Meal, its lack of almond flavor (or smell) has led me to distrust the quality of TJ's products in general. I suspect the essential oils of the ground almonds were extracted and sold separately.

I can't believe whole grains didn't make the list? I'm using them lots this year (mostly as breakfast porridge and in soups) and LOOOOVE them. Favorites are steel-cut oats, millet, kamut, and spelt berries. I also tried amaranth (not a favorite, but edible), wheat bulgur, toasted kasha (a little strong for me), and cracked wheat berries. So healthy tasting and lovely to chew on. And in the crockpot? Dead easy.

I also hopped on the smoked Spanish paprika bandwagon and never looked back. I've still got to buy some dry mustard. I often use prepared mustard in sauces.

Beans were also in heavy rotation this year, especially dried beans. They are surprisingly more tasty than canned (though I will still use those in a pinch).

Homemade popcorn (we have a stir crazy electric popcorn popper - works like magic!) has been in HEAVY rotation as our go-to snack. It's probably a good thing the popper is a bit hard to clean, or we would likely overindulge. And bulk popcorn is so cheap!

Cardamom. I discovered it in Eastern and Asian foods other than cookies a few years ago. Indians eat the seeds as an after-dining digestive. Delicious that way, too. Wonderful in tea as the Afghans prepare it. Marvelous in ice cream with pistachio. I'm in love.

Oh wow. I have got to find umami powder - I love pretty much anything umami. (And that goes back to the MSG! Yum.)

My biggest food discovery was... cooking. Yup, 2011 was the year I actually started cooking (and reading Kitchn daily!). Whereas before I was afraid to turn the oven off, now I pour over cookbooks, the food section in the paper, blogs... learning how to actually make my own food instead of eating processed crap or yet another sandwich was extremely liberating.

Also, garlic. I add it to practically everything.

I discovered Beast Heart. Always something I avoided because there are certain parts of an animal I couldn't bring myself to eat but as encouraged through a forum I frequent called 'Wildfood - foodies gone wild' (lovely foodie like minded people from the UK and some from the continent and even further afield). I have lights to try when I can pluck up the courage and nothing on this earth can get me to try tripe.

Also discovered using Pearl Barley instead of rice for many dishes - would much rather have a barley risotto than a rice one now.

I second the pomegranate molasses - fantastic on grilled eggplant with feta, toasted pine nuts and mint.

Also a polish spice blend called Perenika. Basically a gingerbread spice, but there's something in it that takes it to a whole other level. I have Polish friends bring it and add it to everthing - pies, apple butter, etc. Does anyone out there know exactly what it is?

My new discovery this year are chia seeds and nutritonal yeast. Also, using real butter on white bread is amazing, so one can say that's my new discovery as well :)

My parents shared a full CSA basket this summer so it was fun to introduce them to all these new vegies each week this summer- okra, brussel sprouts, delicata squash, kohlrabi, eggplant, garlic scapes, parsnips, bok choy.

Some they liked, some they will probably never eat again. It's amusing to me that my teen boys have eaten these vegies for many years, but my 60+year old parents are only trying them for the first time!

On a side note, because of our vast amounts available each week this summer in the CSA, I discovered how much I loved cornmeal fried okra dusted with cajun seasoning. I know it was completely awful for me but I had to use it up each week right?

My biggest food discovery this year: tom yum-flavored dried seaweed sold in garishly colored packets, frangipane in tarts and red drum fish.

And the clementine cake mentioned further up (Nigella Lawson's recipe) I make it every year around this time. It is really delicious!

Sunchokes / Jerusalem artichokes.

I liked them a few years back but recently had them again and now I want more!

Wow, @JackieDee30. Please don't tell people to 'shut up'. It's pretty rude.

I already said I wasn't trying to be snarky. I have MSG products in my house! My boyfriend eats ranch dressing with MSG in it like it's going out of style! I'm not maligning anything - I was just explaining why people can get in a tizzy about MSG vs. other salt/spices. I AGREE that people get all fussy about 'chemicals' when really everything's a chemical. Sheesh. I've never gotten caught in the silly frays on AT. I guess it was my turn. :p

Gochujang. Skip the "medium" and go straight to the "hot". This stuff is giving my beloved sambal oelek a run for its money in my kitchen.

I love this post. So many things I need to find and try. For me, fuyu persimmons were the biggest eye opener.

Kris0218, I wasn't telling you to shut up. I meant America in general. I hear people blame every symptom they've ever had on specific foods all the time, rarely with evidence to the fact and it drives me crazy. I was just venting. Sorry you took it personally.

Black Currants!

My dear friend from Scotland turned me onto Black Currant Jam with Clotted Cream on Plain Scones--typical Scottish fare. They are tart/sweet and delicious. I couldn't always find the jam in the grocery stores but found that my local berry farm has them. I canned my own. Some set up and some didn't. I used the sauce on everything but found it WONDERFUL with chocolate. My current favorite, Nutella with Black Currant Jam. Perfect adult PBJ!

Also, my son and I can't quit eating the peanut butter popcorn that was on The Kitchn's Blog a month ago. We also make it with Nutella. Sooo good. And the Parmesean popcorn listed above. On my Radar for the weekend!

quinoa
chestnut flour
dates
making cookies and cakes with chickpeas as a substitue for both flour and butter
!

homemade herb ice cream (especially pineapple mint, basil, and parsley)

pumpkin seed oil (on vanilla ice cream--delicious and weirdly alien looking)

Georgian cilantro sauce (similar to pesto, but much lighter and fresher tasting)

chocolate silken tofu pudding

Quince and elderflower jellies
greengage jam
fig chutney
cobnuts

saffron

truffle oil mixed in hummus... soooo great!