Many millennia ago, people ate what they could find by hunting, fishing, and gathering fruits and nuts.
In remote areas, a few hunter-gatherer cultures still survive. But about 10,000 to 12,000 years ago, something happened in western Asia that changed how most people ate. People began to settle down and plant crops. Because different foods grew better in different areas, people eventually invented local cuisines. These were based on local produce and animals, and also on people’s nutritional needs.
