I’m noticing Bomba rice on market shelves. This is a short-grain Spanish rice used for paella. I used to have to mail-order it, but now I’ve seen it in two stores here. On the other hand, I can’t find Rice Chex to save my ass. This must be Chex mix central.
They’ve been available here in the US for many years, though I can’t pinpoint when they started. Where I shop, the butchers in the back do it.
I now prefer to believe, at @Dogginit’s prompting, that the boneless chicken thighs come from boneless chickens. (And yes, @Dr.Winston_OBoogie, I do remember that Far Side cartoon!)
I don’t know the full details, but I know that Dr Pepper was not available in the Northeast (and, I think, other places). But around 1970, the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of New York noticed that their contract with Coca-Cola (in Atlanta) forbade them to bottle rival colas, but said nothing about other soft drinks that were not colas. They negotiated with the Dr Pepper company (in Dublin, TX), and soon the New York marketing area had a new soda. Companies in other markets soon drew up similar contracts, and Dr Pepper became a national brand for the first time.
Back in the 50s, I knew of Dr Pepper and “10-2-4”, but only because they advertised in magazines like Life. When magazines started to print regional editions with different ads for different parts of the country, Dr Pepper ads disappeared (at least in the copies that I saw).
Fresh tropical fruit in general, but people used to show off pineapple as a symbol of status and wealth. Having it available fresh year round can be nice.
Mediterranean fruit fly, probably; maybe other problems in addition.
Importing fresh passion fruit into the U.S. is limited due to quarantine restrictions aimed at preventing the spread of insects (such as the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata). Only Australia, Bermuda, Chile, New Zealand, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines are approved countries to export fresh passion fruit into the U.S. (USDA-APHIS, 2020).
(You wouldn’t necessarily see the flies; eggs can be quite inconspicuous.)
So I was away from the US from 1998-2003. The main items I’ve seen at my grocery that weren’t available before are:
Fresh turmeric root
Chipotles, whether dried or in a can
Rye whiskey (if you were lucky you might find Jim Beam Rye, maybe Old Overholt, and/or Wild Turkey)–but, wait, this is not a grocery store item for many
Several types of tofu (you could get tofu before, but limited in options)
Jackfruit
One of my regular groceries stocks fresh methi/fenugreek leaves and I can’t figure out why, as it’s not a South Asian neighborhood. But for the last three or so years they have been there.
Huh. I’ve never found it, always made it myself.
how nice for you
Bok choy. I don’t think bok choy has been mentioned yet. I think it first started appearing in stores some time in the 1990s, and it seemed fairly exotic at the time. Now I can pick it up at my local farmers market and cook with it regularly.
Yeast spreads like vegemite and marmite are now in a lot of larger midwestern grocery stores. That’s been nice.
I find it in Wegmans and similar bigger stores, in the refrigerated goor-may cheese section, with the buffalo wing dip, the artichoke dip, creme fraich, and several various exotic cheeses. (not in the aisle with blocks of yellow cheddar and sliced American).
Yes! That’s the stuff! I’ll come across long-grain rice in paella once in a while, usually in bars but even in some restaurants, and it’s always a bad sign (they cut corners, don’t care, etc.)
Now all you gotta do is ditch that chorizo and you’ll be good to go. 
Cilantro is my contribution to the thread. How come nobody’s mentioned it yet? Historically, it had never been available in my area until about 15 years ago, at which point it was suddenly everywhere. It disappeared for about a year during the pandemic, but now it’s back on the shelves of most supermarkets.
I feel like what I expect that wasn’t the case when I was a kid is that grocery stores should have the “basic” produce, regardless of season. Stuff like basic fruits and vegetables should always be available, with some others being more seasonal, like watermelons, certain tangerines/satsumas, sweet potatoes, okra, etc…
I also expect any grocery store worth their salt around here to have a decent selection of Hispanic foods- several brands of flour & corn tortillas, canned and raw beans, salsas, jalapenos and serranos, piloncillo, etc… I also feel like they should have a very basic selection of Asian foods, beyond La Choy and Kikkoman soy sauce.
Otherwise, it seems like the stores generally carry the same stuff they always have, albeit with more and nicer options in many categories. Like for example, my local store carries at least seven varieties of plain mayonnaise that I can think of (Hellman’s, Kraft, Duke’s, Sir Kensington’s, the house brand, the house brand organic, and some other organic brand). I don’t expect that, or even think that’s good, but it’s a change from when they had Hellman’s, Miracle Whip, and the house brand.
I’ve used Arborio, which works as well, and is easier to find.
There was a guy at the farmers’ market near us in Portland who set up a paella stand. He used huge paella pans to make the stuff, so I had to ask him “How can you afford to buy the saffron for this much paella?” He mumbled something vague, which I took to mean that he was probably using turmeric for the coloring. Then I noticed that he was also using regular rice and walked away without trying it.
I like carbonated water (aka sparkling water, seltzer, bubbly water). I’ve been drinking it for years and was able to find it in any supermarket in New York. But I remember as recently as around twenty-five years ago, I had a very difficult time finding it in any supermarkets in Texas. This has now changed and it’s common in Texas supermarkets.
Bratwurst used to only be available in the upper Midwest. My family would always make a point of packing some in the cooler to take back to North Carolina after visiting my grandparents in Wisconsin. Now you can find it in any grocery store in the country.
Sadly, the vast majority here uses tartrazine, especially in working-class households. I would expect to find real saffron only in some high-end restaurants, households of certain younger people (foodies with enough disposable income) and, in more widespread use, on the east coast.
i remeber when kiwi was exotic and stores had demos on how to cut it and use it now its so common …
The USA has strict quarantine requirements for fruits, vegetables and meat that change regularly depending on the outbreaks (avian flu is a current worry) or stay permanent because something is endemic in the country of origin and the ban will be permanent until it breaks down (chagas disease is already in the USA, for instance, but they did try to keep it out; there are better examples, I forgot the name though, sorry). Here is a page of the US Customs Administration with some explanations.
In Berlin? Artichokes and figues. It’s a slow process, though. And the quality is still not good enough. But at least they are sometimes available. I don’t expect them yet, but hope for them. The supply chain will get there eventually, like they did with all kinds of berries, mangoes, kumquats, avocados (that one was a long time ago!), japanese ingredients like miso paste and so much more.