Salak fruit

Salak fruit

　　The salak fruit is pointed at the top and round at the bottom, about 5 cm in height and around 5 cm in diameter at the base. Its skin resembles snake skin closely, with reddish-brown outer layers that look like snake scales. Some describe it as being about the size of an egg, while others say it looks more like a hairy peach or a head of garlic. It appears brownish and is made up of small scales. The upper part of each small scale seems to be separable from the fruit skin, but the lower parts are connected, forming a single unit. The skin is very thin and quite hard—it can even scratch your finger if you're not careful. Many people are intimidated by its appearance and hesitate to eat it. When you peel the skin, the sound it makes really does resemble that of snake skin. Then, when you pull off a thin outer layer, the flesh inside is revealed.

　　Once peeled, the fruit is segmented similar to a head of garlic, typically into 3–4 sections, with one or two slightly smaller than the others. The flesh is white, sometimes with a slight yellow tint. The texture is firm, similar to coconut meat, and it has a satisfying crisp bite. The larger segments contain a hard seed—when removed, the seed resembles a shelled chestnut in shape and size, with two flat sides and one nearly round side, colored dark brown. The fruit gives off a mildly sour or funky smell, but the taste is predominantly sweet with a slight tang. However, depending on the growing region, varieties may vary slightly; some lower-quality fruits have a stronger unpleasant odor, drier and harder flesh, and an overly sour or astringent taste.

　　The salak fruit’s shell is hard yet thin, so you must be very careful when peeling it—it can easily cut your fingers. The flesh inside is crisp, and when ripe, it tastes quite sweet. The color of the flesh is yellow, somewhat resembling durian, and it has a mildly sour or funky aroma, similar to the smell of fermented grain, though it's actually quite delicious. Unripe salak tends to have whiter flesh and offers a pleasant sweet-and-sour flavor. The exact taste is something buyers will have to try for themselves—it’s quite unique and hard to describe. There are roughly about 8 fruits per pound.