Snake Fruit in Thailand
I just polished off a fresh cluster of snake fruit.
It was excellent.
Snake fruit, along with durian and a host of other fruit, is a natural growing gem of southeast Asia.
The outside of the fruit is scaly like a snake and prickly like a cactus, but the inside is sweeter than honey, sour like a pineapple and incredibly juicy. Its flesh is slightly acidic, giving your tongue a citrus like tingle.
The complex flavor wrapped into a lethal grenade looking package has a spectacular flavor.
What is snake fruit?
What is Snake Fruit (Salak)?
Snake fruit, more technically known as salak or salacca zalacca, is native to Indonesia but is now grown and produced around southeast Asia. The fruit grows on the salak palm tree, sprouting off the base of the palm in little clusters.
In Thailand, snake fruit is widespread, popular as a to-go snack on the streets of Bangkok (during season). Venders will often handle the dirty work, peeling the spiky exterior and packing the peeled fruit into convenient baggies for sale. Thais enjoy snakefruit dipped in a mixture of sugar and salt.
Peeled snake fruit, this particular one was a double, butt shaped flesh
My First Taste (The Story)
It was 2009 when I had my first taste of snake fruit.
I was hanging out in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, cruising around and excited to be exploring. A local friend of mine happened to have a few snake fruit trees on her compound in Yogyakarta and brought a sack of them for us all to enjoy.
After peeling away the pokey skin, I sunk my teeth into my very first snake fruit.
Just like wood apple, I developed an instantaneous addiction.
In the next 5 minutes I proceeded to down at least 25 pieces of snakefruit, finding it nearly impossible to stop when there was a free (and giant) sack right before me.
Juicy bite of Snake Fruit
“Don’t eat too many snakefruit, it will make you not use the toilet,” my Indonesian friend nonchalantly mentioned, being pre-occupied and oblivious to the solo devouring session I had just completed.
After my heart sank a few inches I managed a “Oh ooookkk,” terrified of the doom I could face as I gingerly set aside my 26th fruit.
That night I could barely sleep, stressing about my worst nightmare that seemed surly inevitable: constipation.
I woke up, ate some breakfast, drank a coffee, and apart from being a few hours later than the norm, I proceeded on with my chronic morning ritual.
Fortunately my food blogger digestive system overcame the alleged blocking powers of large quantities of snake fruit, constipation did NOT stand a chance!
If the legend is true of not, I still don’t know.
But one thing I do know, every time I eat snake fruit, even at a fruit buffet, I proceed with caution, knowing there could be consequences of eating too much of such a delicious thing.
Wow! So concise but informative and entertaining!
I have so much to learn from you.
May I also say that I particularly enjoyed that the shape of the fruit that you just so happened to take and posted was completely relevant to the proceeding story.
Haha, thanks Erica, yes very similar shape and color! I appreciate you reading and commenting on this story!
Marcos! this looks absolutely delicious !!!! You should bring some back!
Thanks Emy, I would love to! I know you’d like this fruit!
definitely i will look that fruit when i visit bangkok….
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Great to hear that Glen!
It looks delicious! I want to try it, but I bet the odds of finding it in Canada are slim to none. Guess I’d better get myself over to Indonesia! On a related note, I don’t have Indonesia on my Bucket List – if I added it, what are some “must-see” or “must-do” experiences you recommend?
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Thanks for the comment. I haven’t actually traveled to very many places in Indonesia, I visited the island of Sumatra (Medan), Java (Jakarta, Yogyakarta), and finally Bali. I would love to still visit many more islands and places in the vast country. I can recommend Yogyakarta and Mt. Bromo on Java. I’ve heard really good things about Gili Islands, Sulawesi (for diving especially), Lombok, and Borneo. Hope this helps!
If you are anywhere near T & T supermarket in Metropolis in Burnaby they have them there.
Cool, thanks for sharing Ryan!
Hi! I live in Jakarta, Indonesia since I was born. I also love snake fruit
It’s very delicious! I’m so glad that people from other country like this fruit. Thank you for visiting our country 
Hey Martha, great to hear you love it too. You’re welcome, I’d love to visit again in the future!
Hey, was just googling snakefruit and came across this site. I discovered these in Thailand last year and can’t get enough of them. Probably tied with mangosteen for my favorite. I like the way you described the flavor – when asked, I’ve said ‘something like a really sweet, intense, acidic strawberry’. I’m on a business trip to Burma now and found some (much more expensive) in the Chinatown market in Yangon. I think they’re imported from Thailand, because they’re not as fresh. Doesn’t matter, I’m still chowing down on ‘em. Wish we could get them in the states, wonder why no one is importing them…
Hey Ari, glad you also love snake fruit and found some in Burma. I know, it would be great if them sold it in the US, but I’ve never seen it there. Have you visit Indonesia or Malaysia? It’s more plentiful in parts of Indonesia and Malaysia than Thailand!
I believe I had the same experience when I tried the snake fruit! So sad, they are not in Kenya…
, hope you did try rambutan… 
Hey Sharon, glad you like snake fruit too. Yes, love rambutan as well!
We were introduced to snake fruit on Lombok in Indonesia. It became a go to portable snack in SE Asia along with longans and rambutans. All these lovely fruits with a great portable packaging!
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Hey Donny, glad you like snake fruit too. Yes, such great snacks to carry around and eat all the time!