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Aroy Mak Mak

Salak

สละ

Sala: snake fruit, with scaly brown skin and crunchy, sweet-sour flesh.

Salak

Salak is called snake fruit because of its scaly, reddish-brown skin. Inside are three creamy segments with a crunchy, juicy texture and a sweet, tart, slightly astringent flavour. Thailand grows it mostly in the east, in Chanthaburi.

Pronunciationsa-la
FlavourCrunchy, sweet and tart, with a hint of pineapple and banana
SeasonMay to August
EatenFresh, peeled by hand

Sala and rakam

Thais distinguish two types. Sala is longer and pointed, with sweeter, more fragrant flesh. Rakam is rounder and more sour, and is often preserved in syrup or used in sweet-sour dishes.

How to eat it

Pinch the pointed tip to crack the skin, then peel it off like a hard-boiled egg; it comes away easily. Separate the segments and eat around the large brown seeds.

Choosing and storing

Choose firm, glossy fruit with tightly packed scales. Salak keeps for about a week at room temperature.

Chanthaburi varieties

Most Thai salak comes from orchards in Chanthaburi, where growers recognise several named types. Sala Noen Wong is the most widely planted and the one you are most likely to buy, with crunchy flesh and a good balance of sweetness and acidity. Sumali and Mo are the other main commercial varieties. The province holds an annual fruit festival in the hot season where they are sold alongside durian, rambutan and mangosteen.

Outside Thailand

Salak is grown widely in Indonesia and Malaysia, and the snake fruit sold in Asian grocers abroad is often Indonesian, such as the sweet salak from Bali. It travels reasonably well because of its tough skin. Tins and jars of salak in syrup are also available; they are softer and sweeter than fresh fruit and are best served chilled as a simple dessert.

Cook’s tip

Be careful of the small spines at the base of the fruit when you first pick it up.

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