What Bali Taught Me

There are many things I love about living in this part of the world: that I can buy coconut grated to order. That Dave and I can easily and quickly hop from country to country and culture to culture. That, as each year passes, it becomes ever more obvious that no matter how much I learn about this region and its foods I'll never, ever know it all.

Salak, or snakefruit, are wildly popular in Malaysia and Thailand. I'd seen them displayed for sale in bundles but never knew that that's how they grow, bunched together around a single stem. Nor did I know they're the fruit of a type of palm tree (for some reason I pictured them hanging from tree branches) and that they grow nestled in fronds covered with dangerously sharp spines. Harvesting salak is no easy task.

In the hills of northern Bali male and female salak trees are planted side-by-side to delineate agricultural property boundaries. Dave took these photos in a small village a terrifying fifteen-minute motorbike ride from the nearest road, soon after the trees' owner had graciously wrestled a couple of bunches free for us to try.

I learned something else: all salak are not created equal.

Named for their tough scaly skin, snakefruit have long sat low on my list of beloved Asian tropical fruits. I've eaten them in Thailand, Malaysia, on Sumatra (Indonesia), and in the Philippines, and have always found them off-puttingly pungent, their flesh dry, juiceless, oddly chewy, and more likely than not to leave the inside of my mouth feeling as if it's covered with fuzz. In short, an utter waste of jaw power. 

Balinese salak are a whole other animal, their flesh moist if not quite juicy, giving if not exactly tender. What's more, they're far from stinky, with a flavor that's a pleasant tropical punch-y mix of banana, pineapple, and the tiniest hint of mango. I may have shunned salak in the past but on Bali I couldn't get enough of them.

Another thing I've learned in Southeast Asia: if at first you're not convinced, taste taste again. Malaysian durian converted me to the King of Fruits (native Balinese durian, by the way, give the Malaysian varieties a real run for their money). And Balinese salak did the same for the ugly snakefruit.

Comments

[anonymous paul]

on top of the salak, i found the Balinese mangosteens and passionfruit quite different, in a good way, as well. tinier but the flavors more intense. all tasted better chilled.

[anonymous paul]

on top of the salak, i found the Balinese mangosteens and passionfruit quite different, in a good way, as well. tinier but the flavors more intense. all tasted better chilled.

[luckyfatluke.]

thanks for this, i had absolutely no idea they grew like this! Have you come across any savoury recipes with Salak?

[Jennifer Jeffrey]

Gorgeous! The outer skin looks almost reptilian...

It is posts like these that make me so happy for the blogosphere - the fact that I get to vicariously peek into your experiences across the globe.

[bayi]

Salak is quite popular in Malaysia. I remember how they were always available at the pasar tani when I was growing up in the east coast.

Even now I think you can buy them at our pasar tani from time to time. Some people are afraid to eat them because of the scaly skin but once you remove the skin the whitish flesh inside can be quite delicious.

[Annie]

I was introduced to buah salak by a Czech (!) neighbour in Malaysia. I had never had the fruit and didn't know what to make of it. She told me she really liked it as it reminded her of strawberries. My response to it was very much like your first--it's kinda sour, dry and didn't leave me wanting another bite. I haven't had another since that day but after reading your post, I think I should give it another try. It'll have to wait till I make it back home. Something else to put on my list of eats when I get home.

[Nate 2.0]

Is it even possible, Dave's photography is getting better! Those snake fruit are absolutely gorgeous!

[Rasa Malaysia]

My father would always buy these back whenever he went on business trips to Indonesia. I love buah salak...thanks for the tree pictures now I know how it looks and you are right, they look like they should hang from a branch...hehe.

[Robyn]

paul - I agree abt the mangosteens - incredible (and so cheap, compared to Malaysia, even at the 'foreigner price'). We also had yellow passion fruit (I had only known the purple ones - delicate and delicious.

luckyfatluke - interesting thought - savory dishes with salak. I haven't come across any recipes at all. I suppose they might be used like lychees, in a duck preparation?

hi bayi - when salak are in season (now) you can always find them at Chow Kit Market, along with avocadoes imported from Sumatra. I purchased some the other day, but they just aren't as tasty as the Balinese salak. Very drying to the mouth and without the nicely intense fruity flavor.

Annie - as I said above, I'm not loving the salak I can get here in Malaysia at all.

Thanks Nate - fruit this intersting looking makes the photographer's job easier. ;-)

Rasa - interesting how we just assume, based on a fruit's shape, how it grows...

[Shirlee Poel]

I absolutely can't get enough of this fruit. it's not too sweet and I like it's crunchiness.

Just so that everyone knows ( I mean to first timers). when you peel of the scales, make sure you RUB off the thin sheen of "sheer" skin before you plop them into your mouh. this will guarantee that you will not experience the uncomfortable "fuziness " on your tongue.

Enjoy the fruit!

[vicong]

Maybe the best Salak in Indonesia is Bali, Sidimpuan, Pondoh, Bogor and Condet.

Sidimpuan from North Sumatera, Pondoh you can find in Jogja and some Central Java.

Salak Bogor almost gone and the Condet is gone. Condet is the name of area in Jakarta, people refer it with salak only last in early 90 :(