A long, long time ago, people ate what they could find.
They hunted and fished and gathered fruits and nuts. A few hunter-gatherer cultures still exist in isolated spots in the world. But about 10,000 to 12,000 years ago, in western Asia, something happened that changed the way most people ate. People began to settle down and plant crops. Because different food crops did better in different parts of the world, local cuisines developed. They were based on local produce and animals. But they were also based on people’s nutritional needs.
