Salak fruit: 5 things you might not know about this unique fruit

Some people call salak fruit ‘snake fruit’ because of its reddish brown scaly skin which reminds one of snakeskin.

However, the salak tree belong to the palm tree family and is native to Malaysia and Indonesia.

The fruit can be peeled by first pinching the pointed tip of the fruit, and then peeling the skin away to reveal pearly edible cloves which closely resemble a peeled garlic.

As for the flavour, it tastes acidic and sweet with an apple-like texture.

Here are five things you might not know about the salak fruit:

1.It has been featured on the Malaysian stamp

On Feb 27, 1999, a Malaysian stamp was issued featuring the salak fruit.

It was under the rare fruits series of stamps.

The species that was featured on the stamp was Salacca grabrecens.

2.There are many types of salak cultivar out there

Overall, there are at least 30 salak cultivars (which is short for ‘cultivated varieties’) out there.

Some of the popular cultivars are salak pondoh and salak Bali.

In Indonesia, salak Bali is the most expensive type: It is smaller than the normal salak and apparently the sweetest of its kind.

Meanwhile in Malaysia, the most famous type is salak madu (honey).

3.The health benefits of salak fruit

Many studies have been done on the nutritional values of salak fruit.

A study by Thai researchers published in 2013 for instance, showed that salak plum possessed antioxidant properties.

Other studies showed that the tropical fruit contains vital nutrients such as calcium, iron, potassium, vitamin C and beta caroteene.

It is estimated that 100gm of salak fruit can provide approximately 82 calories and contains 4 per cent fat and 1 per cent protein.

4.Place that is named after the salak tree

Pasir Salak is a riverside town located in Perak, Malaysia.

Legend has that the town was named after the sandy riverbank that was once covered by salak fruit skins.

Hence the name ‘Pasir Salak’, ‘Pasir’ as in sand in Malay.

Some history buffs would recognise the place as where British colonial official J.W.W. Birch was assassinated in 1875, and event which would later caused British intervention in local conflicts leading to the outbreak of the Perak War.

Meanwhile, in Malaysia’s neighbouring country of Indonesia in West Java, there is an eroded volcano called Mount Salak.

Contrary to popular belief that the name is derived from the salak tree, Mount Salak’s name actually comes from a Sanskrit word.

According to Sundanese tradition, the name comes from the Sanskrit word ‘Salaka’ which means ‘silver’.

Hence, Mount Salak can also be referred to as Silver Mountain.

5.Some of the salak products you should try

snake fruit 2829354 1280 1
Image by Pixabay.

Salak candies, salak juice and pickled (jeruk) salak are some of the yummy delicacies made from this fruit.

Thanks to modern technology, you can order these products through online shopping if you cannot find them in your local stores.

Patricia Hului is a Kayan who wants to live in a world where you can eat whatever you want and not gain weight.

She grew up in Bintulu, Sarawak and graduated from the University Malaysia Sabah with a degree in Marine Science.

She is currently obsessed with silent vlogs during this Covid-19 pandemic.

Due to her obsession, she started her Youtube channel of slient vlogs.

Follow her on Instagram at @patriciahului, Facebook at Patricia Hului at Kajomag.com or Twitter at @patriciahului.

Previous Story

KajoPicks: 8 Korean sci-fi dramas you need to watch

Next Story

10 easy and amazing ways to use frozen puff pastry

Latest from Lifestyle