Snake Fruit, or Salak, is a species of palm tree native to the islands of Java and Sumatra in Indonesia. It’s a seasonal fruit that can be found at local markets here in Cambodia but isn’t as common as other seasonal fruits like Mangosteen, Rambutan, or Longan.

The outer skin of the fruit is where it gets its serpentine moniker. It does resemble scales though I’d personally have probably called Salak dragon fruit rather than snake fruit. There are little thorns on the scales that look threatening but they’re not that sharp and break away easily.

It’s fun to peel away the scales bit by bit, slowly revealing the flesh of the fruit. There’s usually a surprise element in guessing how many fruit segments there will be… I’ve seen one to three but heard there can be as many as four.

The taste of fruits reminded me of mangosteen only far more sharp and acidic. So it’s tangy, sweet, and sour. It definitely has an astringent aftertaste, leaving the mouth dry. There isn’t a lot of flesh to this fruit, there are large seeds inside, but it makes up for it with the abundance of flavor. Snake Fruit is delicious in small quantities and, apparently, healthy too as it’s suppose to be nutrient dense. But the acidity is such that I wouldn’t recommend eating a lot of it in one sitting.