The animals inside the shell is eaten, either raw as in salads or cooked as in fritters chowdars, gumbos and burgers. In El Salvador, live conch is served in a cocktail of onion, tomato, lemon juice.

In India the sound of the conch is associated with the sacred syllable AUM, the first sound of creation. Conches that spiral clockwise are said to symbolize the expansion of infinite space. These conches belong to Lord Vishnu, the preserver god. Conches that spiral counterclockwise are said to defy the "laws of nature," and belong to the destroyer/transformation god, Lord Shiva. The conch is one of the five principle weapons of Vishnu. Followers of Vishnu believe the conch shell was given to us to destroy all evil. Arjuna, the hero of India's epic Mahabharata, blew a particularly powerful conch as a battle horn. It was said to "banish evil spirits, avert natural disasters and scare away poisonous creatures."

According to Hindu mythology, Paanchajanya, the first Dakshinavrutha Sankham, emerged during the churning of the Ksheerasagara (ocean of milk) by the devas (gods) and asuras (demons). As it rose out of the ocean, its tremendous decibel frightened the asuras who appealed to Vishnu to save them. Lord Vishnu obliged, taking charge of the conch shell." The primordial sound of creation, that is the Omkar or Pranavanadham, was thereby controlled. Hence forth, it became a part of Vishnu's five weapons. "In his various avatars, Vishnu has used all weapons to destroy evil forces. Only the conch shell and the sword remain.

Conch shell is blown during sacred rites to get rid of negative energy. The vibrations from these conch shells can dispel evil forces from the earth and also clear environmental pollution including healing the hole in the ozone layer, which causes global warming.

It is also major Hindu article of prayer. It is used as a trumpet. In the story of Dhurava the conch shell plays a important role. The warriors of ancient india would blow conch shells to announce battle. It is a deep part of hindu symbolic and religious tradition. In present scenario many hindus use the conch as a part of their religuous practiices, blowing it during worship at specifc points, accompanied by ceremonuial bells. The 'shankh' or conch shell is traditionally sounded in Hindu rituals to invoke the presence of the Lord.

Conch shells are sometimes used as decoration, as decorative planters and in cameo making. In classic Mayan art, conches are shown being utilized in many ways including as paint and ink holders for elite scribes, as bugles or trumpets, and as hand weapons. The conch shell is said to be musical instrument or mermaids and mermen steve. We do get lots of marine and animal products from conch shell.
The conch is also used in Tibetan Buddhism to call together religious assemblies. During the actual practise of rituals, it is used both as a musical instrument and as a container for holy water.

The fourfold cate division is also applied as follows:

1. The smooth white conch represents the Brahmin caste (priests)
2. The red conch, the Kahatriyas (warriors)
3. The yellow conch, the vaishyas (Merchants)
4. The grey conch, the Shudras (labourers)