Salak (Salacca zalacca) known as snake fruit in English. It is native Indonesia in Java and Sumatra, and further naturalized in Bali, Lombok, and Sulawesi. It is a species from palm tree family and cultivated around the region for food crops. As like other palm tree families, the fruits are grown in clusters at the base of the palm. It is called snake fruit due to the scaly skin as the one on the snakes. It consist of three lobes where the big lobe will consist a seed, while the smaller ones are usually empty.
They are produced all year, but at certain times of the year produced in larger amount with better taste. As for the taste and widely provided, salak has become a staple fruit for most home around Java and Bali island.
Once I introduce it to my friends from Holland, their comment was, it is crunchy like an apple, but not as soft. It is sweet (I introduced them to Salak Gula Pasir, the one famous in Bali), with a little sour after taste. It is watery, but not as watery as the pears.
Salak is best served and stored at room temperature. They are easily spoiled when the weather is too hot, or the climate is humid. A damp room or cabinet will also spoil them. Generally, it is hard to store, and best eaten right away, with spare of two to three days.
If you would like to bring it home to your home town or country from Bali, I suggest you to ask for rattan or plastic basket. But expect to have 50% of them spoiled as you arrived home (not recommendable). Just savor the taste while you are in Bali, buy as much as you’d love to eat, and bring home the memory
Good memory, well preserved, NamaStay!
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