Some additional bites from a book review in last weeks WSJ.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/amber-waves-review-cereal-drama-11604266382
Ms. Zabinski introduces us to wheat in its earliest, wildest iteration, describing a seed that was at first nearly inedible for humans. Herbivores gobbled it up with impunity, fermenting grass and seeds alike in their multichambered, specialized stomachs. But wheat’s protective hull was so incredibly hard that our hunter-gatherer ancestors cracked their molars simply trying to chew on it. Eventually stones were used to grind the seeds into flour, providing primitive pastes and gruels when other resources were scarce. This required an inordinate amount of time, energy and organization.
...How did this wild seed metamorphose from a tooth-busting, energy-intensive liability into the miraculously adaptable asset we have today? As Ms. Zabinski explains, while most animals are unable to procreate with different species, “plants in general and grasses in particular are rule benders.” Thus, when an ancient variety of wheat known as einkorn met the weedy goatgrass in some metaphorical moonlit meadow, merging their genes, the implications of this unexpected coupling were profound.
The resulting offspring was emmer. Its seeds were softer and less difficult to clean; its versatility allowed our ancestors to bake the very first bread. More important, it spurred the advent of farming, for instance in theMesopotamian village of Abu Hureyra in modern Syria...
Interesting. Big question is when did man begin to crudely cultivate. They probably realized very early that the pits from fruits or seeds from berries if placed in the ground sometimes resulted in new fruit bearing trees or berry plants. They probably could not stay to monitor or protect the cultivation due to the need to keep moving for hunting and gathering. However through trial, error and observation cultivation skills were acquired and they inevitably became knowledgeable about plant varieties, characteristics, grow times and nutritional values. However once they got the hang of productive cultivation, food became more abundant, populations grew rapidly, permanent settlements and civilization became possible. Of course the vast majority of people were eating diets that they were not optimal for their genetic blueprint. This incongruity will forever affect humankind.