Why did people used to overcook vegetables?

[OtakuLoki]

@Mangetout

*I mention this because it’s possible to go out and pick small quantities of delicious, tender and tasty wild vegetables (and this is something I do myself from time to time), but If you’re gathering wild vegetables in large quantities to feed a large family or a small community, you can’t be so discerning as to only pick the tender tips as you skip gaily along the hedgerow.

I expect there are other contributory factors

Another factor might be that selective hybridization has really accellerated producing consistently good crops, compared to varieties that were common even 50 years ago. I don’t know that this is the case, but I wouldn’t be surprised to hear it’s a factor.