During the Old Stone Age (Paleolithic), people sustained themselves by gathering edible plants and fruits and hunting various animals. When the last Ice Age ended and global warming began, the environment changed significantly. Some plant and animal species disappeared, while others changed. People had to adapt to these new conditions.

In places with favorable conditions, people gradually began cultivating certain types of plants and raising animals to secure their food supply. They learned to farm wheat, barley, and lentils, which they used to make bread, porridge, and other foods – even brewing beer from barley. They successfully domesticated sheep, goats, cattle, and pigs. While developing agriculture, they continued to hunt wild animals like deer and boar, fish, and gather wild fruits such as apples, pears and grapes.

These significant changes in human lifestyle marked the beginning of a new era – the Neolithic or New Stone Age, which began in the Middle East around 10,000 BCE. Agriculture and animal husbandry later spread to the Balkans and present-day Bulgarian territories around 6500 – 6000 BCE, brought by migrating populations.

Many fruits and vegetables common today were not native to our region during this ancient period. They arrived much later from America, Africa, China, and India during the "Age of Discovery" (15^th – 16th centuries). These include potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, pumpkins, coffee, and many others.