Bin Gregory Productions » Blog Archive » Strange Fruit, pt.3: Salak

Official Organ of an American Muslim in Malaysia

Strange Fruit, pt.3: Salak

13 May 2003 11 Comments

Armadillo Fruit Firm, Dry, Woody Hard, Oblong, Smooth

I came back from my latest foray in the night market with a small bag of Buah Salak. These fruits are about the size and shape of a ripe fig. They are covered in a shiny, scaly peel that resembles snakeskin or armadillo hide. Inside, the flesh is firm, dry and crunchy, kind of like an unripe pear. As for the flavor, my report will have to wait till next time. You see, I got took. The whole half-kilo bag was unripe. I should’ve known I was about to be duped when I asked the innocent-looking 12-year-old running the stall how to tell a ripe salak from an unripe one. “These are all good,” he tells me. Yeah, right. There was enough hint of sweetness and flavor to make me definitely try again, but this batch was inedible. Kelat, they say in Malay: that woody, bitter aftertaste left on the roof of your mouth.

I wasn’t too happy with how the pictures came out, but I found some better ones. This site has artsy pictures of popular Balinese fruits, including the Salak. For you horts, this site has growing requirements and tips, as well as good pictures. This site has a lot of information, in bad english, about the Salak and the commercial Salak trade, which is big business in Bali. Finally, for the botanists: Salak is Salacca zalacca, formerly Salacca edulis. [Aside: You know, botanical names are supposed to provide a standard reliable name for describing plants, but I swear they change faster than common names. I can think of six or seven common Michigan plants that have had a name change since I last was last studying them.] This site has a catalog of the various Salacca palms in existence. Here in Kuching, Salacca conferta, Kelubi, is also readily available. It is smaller than the Salak, and is used as a sour ingredient in sauces. Apart from the size, they look pretty similar. I bought some a few weeks back thinking they were Salak…

11 Comments »

~Lin~ said:

Hmm.. picking up ideas from your website. I should do this also so I can introduce fruits to my in-laws and we can become fruity! Eh?

I’m gonna miss these fruits. *sigh*

*Note to self: Maybe you can be fruit importer when you get to U.S *

# 15 May 2003 at 5:09 am

Bin Gregory Productions said:

You’d be surprised what fruits you can get in the US! I used to get a durian once a month or so whenever I went to the Vietnamese store for groceries. They are shipped frozen solid, so they lose more than a little flavor, aroma, and texture upon thawing, but I thought it was still worth the 8-10$ it would cost. But I never saw Salak in the States, so maybe there’s a niche there…

# 15 May 2003 at 9:55 am

Sharizal said:

i hate salak!

# 18 May 2003 at 3:33 pm

Hiew Chin Yee said:

wat’s so gr8 abt tis salak?

# 21 November 2003 at 10:27 am

JimK said:

We ate salak in Bali and loved them. It would be great to be able to find them in the states.

# 20 December 2003 at 4:04 am

onca said:

I Like Salak because it”my favorit

# 23 April 2004 at 11:16 am

JB said:

does anybody know a really good site where I can find information on the salak friut? I am doing a project for my food studies class and I can’t seem to find any really good information yet.
If you could send websites to me via email (firelover88@hotmail.com) that would be great.
Thank you very much.

# 2 June 2004 at 11:57 pm

Hope said:

I would like to find out where I can purchase Salak in the States?

# 22 June 2004 at 7:18 pm

Ayilisha said:

i jus wanna know all the info about salak which is the famous fruit in Bali.

# 25 April 2006 at 4:27 pm

Ayilisha said:

i jus wanna know abt the salak. wood i get any info?

# 25 April 2006 at 4:31 pm

Ayilisha said:

Salak is a strange fruit. Hmmm……Jus wanna have a taste!!!

# 5 June 2006 at 9:36 am

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