page_title: Human interactions with fungi
section_title: Food
hierarchical_section_title: Human interactions with fungi / Practical uses / Food
caption_attribution_description: English: Fresh tempeh at the market, Jakarta, Indonesia 日本語: バナナの葉で包んだ作りたてのテンペ、ジャカルタの市場で。
context_page_description: Human interactions with fungi include both beneficial uses, whether practical or symbolic, and harmful interactions such as when fungi damage crops, timber, or food.
  Yeasts have been used since ancient times to leaven bread and to ferment beer and wine. More recently, mould fungi have been exploited to create a wide range of industrial products, including enzymes and drugs. Medicines based on fungi include antibiotics, immunosuppressants, statins and many anti-cancer drugs. The yeast species Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an important model organism in cell biology. The fruiting bodies of some larger fungi are collected as edible mushrooms, including delicacies like the chanterelle, cep, and truffle, while a few species are cultivated. Mould fungi provide the meaty flavour of fermented soybean products such as tempeh, miso and soy sauce, and contribute flavour and colour to blue cheeses including Roquefort and Stilton. Moulds also yield vegetarian meat substitutes like Quorn. Some fungi, especially the fly agaric and psilocybin mushrooms are used for the psychoactive drugs that they contain; these in particular are the focus of academic study in the field of ethnomycology.
context_section_description: The fruiting bodies of many larger fungi such as the chanterelle and the cep are collected as edible mushrooms.
  Some, such as truffles, are esteemed as costly delicacies. A few species such as Agaricus bisporus and oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus spp.) are cultivated.
  Mould fungi are the source of the meaty (umami) flavour of the soybean products tempeh, miso and soy sauce. Tempeh has been produced in Java since the 13th century. Like tofu, it is made into protein-rich blocks, but these have a firm texture and earthy flavour, since (unlike tofu) the whole beans are retained, providing a higher content of dietary fibre and vitamins. Miso too is rich in protein, vitamins and minerals. It is fermented from a mixture of soybeans and cereals, forming a soft paste used to flavour soups and other Japanese dishes. Soy sauce has been used in China since the 2nd century AD, and is now widespread in Asia. Like miso, it is made by fermenting a mixture of soybeans and cereals with moulds such as Aspergillus oryzae.
  The mould Penicillium roqueforti contributes the blue coloration and much of the flavour in blue cheeses such as Roquefort and Stilton. Mould fungi are processed to produce vegetarian meat substitutes such as Quorn.
caption: Mould fungi produce foods like tempeh, savoury Javanese fermented soybean cakes.
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