Spice jar
A small jar of dried spice on the shelf — concentrated flavour kept in reserve.
A spice jar in a dream is the dream's image of concentrated flavour kept in reserve. The jar is not the meal; the jar is what the meal can call on. The dream brings the spice jar when something in your life — a particular skill, a friend with a specialised gift, a saved memory — is currently in kept reserve and is available the moment the right occasion arises. A spice jar opened and used in the right dish is the dream affirming the reserve. A spice jar found long after the contents have lost their smell, the flavour gone in storage, is the dream noting that the reserve was real and was kept too long without occasion, and the concentrated value has quietly faded in the dark.