A bag of salak fruit
Here we have สละ [sala], another common fruit in this area. In English it’s called salak or snakefruit. It comes from a palm tree and the fruit tastes similar to pineapple, although the texture is much more firm and dry. They come in clusters like shown and are a pain in the but to get open, especially if you have no fingernails. The skin is covered with a ton of sharp, spiny, needle-like hairs. They’re actually not that hard, but they can still hurt your fingers if you’re opening a whole batch of them. They make a mess too, with the hairs falling all over the place. Despite the tedious work to open them, I have grown quite fond of the taste. When it’s in season I’m happy to buy this fruit anytime I know I’ll be around someone willing to open them for me.
Opening up the salak
The inside fruit
The fruits of all our tedious work!
