Noble mushrooms have a unique taste, which is why their culinary value is highly valued. As a delicacy, they have become an indispensable part of the upscale cuisine.

The best-known noble mushrooms are truffles, morels, porcini mushrooms and chanterelles, mushrooms, velvet caps, shiitakes, seitlings and shimeji. Truffles are among the most expensive noble mushrooms. They grow underground in symbiosis with the roots of certain tree species. Some noble and useful mushrooms are cultivated on substrates. Poisonous and mouldy mushrooms can cause severe poisoning.

On the other hand, certain moulds play an important role in medicine. Penicillium chrysogenum is a type of mould that is cultivated in fermenters and used to obtain penicillin.