If you know me, you know that fruits and veggies are huge staples in my diet. Here in Indonesia, I’m exploring a whole new produce landscape. One of my new favorites is snake fruit, or salak. This fruit is native to the island I’m on, Java, and is readily available and delicious. Wikipedia tells me that snake fruit grows in bunches, though by the time I’ve ever seen them around, they’re available in a pile of individual fruit.
They aren’t a ready-to-eat fruit, requiring time to peel the snake-like coating from the outside, revealing (usually) three fleshy lobes that look like large garlic cloves. Then, I pop open the flesh to remove the solid smooth seed in the middle, et voilà, they’re ready to eat. They taste not too sweet with a wee bit of tartness to them, and I just love ’em!
While back home, I typically have berries for breakfast and an apple a day to keep the doctor away, here in Indonesia, my gut is better able to handle fruit that requires peeling. So, when I’m not eating at a hotel breakfast buffet (which typically offer cut papaya and/or melons), my diet includes a lot of bananas, mango, dragonfruit, and these delicious new treats: snake fruit!
I missed out on this fruit when I was living in Bangkok! Thanks for sharing it with us. 🙂
Wow I see why it’s called a snake fruit!! Looks interesting. Is it like jackfruit?
No, not really. Though, I have seen what was called “young jackfruit” on a hotel breakfast buffet – that was much more tart and with the consistency of a pear (kinda). Tonight I tried a new fruit that seemed a lot like jicama, but I can’t for the life of me remember the name! 😉