This lovely but sort of weird fruit produces fruit all year round but because it grows close to the ground it is often quite muddy and sometimes needs a thorough clean but it has a good protective shell which although can be opened quite easily when you know how doesn’t break open when the fruit is washed…
I walked on by when I first saw this fruit and then my natural curiosity took over it truly is a lovely fruit…
The outside of the fruit is scaly like a snake and prickly like a cactus, but the inside is sweeter than honey, sour like pineapple and incredibly juicy. Its flesh is slightly acidic, giving your tongue a citrus-like tingle.
Salak fruit or snake fruit is a fruit that is very common in and around South East Asia. The skin is very like the markings on a snake I tend to call it snake fruit rather than salak…
Salak is a species of palm tree native in Indonesia. it belongs to the Arecaceae family. The fruits grow in clusters at the base of the palm. It is also known as snake fruit because of its reddish-brown scaly skin. The fruit inside is sweeter than honey and sour like pineapple and very juicy.
Because the flesh is slightly acidic it makes your tongue tingle. The fruit grows around the base of the tree so often when you buy it fresh they can be covered with dirt a little like potatoes when you dig them up…
They are also quite prickly to the touch and there is a knack to opening them but like everything once you have mastered that it is quite easy. Just be careful as this fruit has fairly hard albeit thin skin it is just getting your nail in the right place and pressing quite hard. Like everything, once you get the nack it is easy…
This evergreen tree produces fruit all year round.
Facts about the Sala fruit:
It is quite beneficial as eye medication due to its high beta carotene content and is also known as the memory fruit.
It can be eaten fresh or cooked. It is also sold in cans, like candied fruit or unripe, it can be pickled or added to a Thai spicy Salad with Papaya.
To pickle Salak.
Let’s Cook!
It must be peeled and deseeded. Soaked in a water and salt solution for 1 hour, then rinsed and drained.
Resoak again for 1 hour, then wash and drain.
Put in a vinegar, salt and water solution which has been boiled and cooled and let to stand for 1- 2 days before eating.
N.B. Make sure your fruit is very fresh or the jam will have a dusty taste..not nice at all.
I struggled to find many recipes for Salak… many Indonesian recipes have Salak in the name but do not use the fruit…they use sweet potatoes and shape them like the salak fruit…This Salak salad is from one of my favourite youtube channels…Mark Weins…Enjoy!
Did you know?
The salak Salacca glabrecens was featured on a Malaysian stamp, issued 27 February 1999 under the rare fruits series of stamps.
Retired? No one told me! 
Pingback: Tropical Friday…Snake Fruit(Salak)… – Rosalina Health
Thank you for the reblog 🙂
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They are looking mystic. 😉 Here its always been said, we should eat more regional fruits. So with the selection you have, that should be less of a problem. 🙂 Here in the region only potatoes grow, those that first have to get to know the stomach of pigs in order to be edible. Lol xx Michael
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Haha you are funny, Michael you always make me smile.. You must have lots of lovely fruits that I can’t get here.. 😀 X
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Reblogged this on NEW OPENED BLOG > https:/BOOKS.ESLARN-NET.DE.
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Looks like a rare fruit Carol. Haven’t heard of this before. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with all the details about this wonderful fruit.
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It is common around Asia, Sowmya.. For anyone else you may be able to buy it dried or in syrup x
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Glad to know Carol
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Pingback: CarolCooks2 weekly roundup…August 8th-14th 2021…Peek-a Boo, Music, A-Z, Snake Fruit and Scones… | Retired? No one told me!
Very interesting and hardly known in the rest of the world, I suspect.
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Yes most probably dear Dolly.. You may find them tinned or dried in a specialist shop or Amazon x
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I think I’ll hold off on this for now, but it is a curious fruit.
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Always learning something new Carol!
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The joy of blogging John… 😀 x
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Yay! I remember I came up with salak for your vocabulary game. I had heard of it before, although “snake fruit” was a new one for me.
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You did indeed, Pete.. Snake fruit is what I know it as.. Thank you for jogging my memory… xx
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I’ve never heard of it, but the flesh looks a little bit like a cross between a mangosteen and a lychee 😆 Fingers crossed I can try it one day! Thank you for sharing.x
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It probablyis more sour than sweet but not too sour if that makes sense 🙂 I do hope you get to try it one day 🙂
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I’ve never heard of it, and as tasty as it sounds, I’d first have to get over my dislike of snakes to give it a try! 🙂
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Ahhh , Jim although the skin looks like a snake I daresay you would soon put your fears aside if faced with this lovely fruit 🙂
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I guess knowing it’s not a real snake would help 🙂
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I’ve never seen or heard of this, but it sounds delicious
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Delicious it is Beth…one day maybe you will get to try it 🙂
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You have such different fruits where you live. I wonder if any of them are sold in the U.S.
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Some maybe Bern it depends on whether or not they travel well.. 😊
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Pingback: Tropical Friday…Snake Fruit(Salak)… – MobsterTiger
Another one I have never heard of, but I like the sound of it. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete. x
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Its a lovely fruit not too sweet and not too sour, Pete…:) x
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