I don’t think it is a convention anywhere but very very far north. For the majority of people living in the Northern hemisphere by far, as in almost everyone, it has been some for some time now.

Finely diced celery, carrots and onion is the foundation of basically all great stews and ragouts (including ragu alla bolognese).

Of course it would have lasted long. It had lasted basically the entire existence of human populated India up until then.