Those who are lucky enough to visit Thailand at least once know how a diverse selection of the most amazing fruits this country presents to its inhabitants. What are such exotic names as durian, jackfruit, dragon fruit, maprao, shompu, guava, lychee, longan, mangosteen, noi-na, rambutan, santol, sapodilla or tamarind! The list also includes a completely unusual fruit, called salak, or salacca (in Latin - Salacca zalacca), also known as "snake fruit" (in the English version - "snake fruit"). Recently, this overseas miracle can be rarely found in our stores.
What is salak
The name "snake fruit" can cause various associations, but in reality, these fruits have nothing to do with reptiles: snakes do not eat them and do not even live nearby. Just the Baltic herring has a glossy scaly texture, in appearance very reminiscent of snake skin.
Salacca zalacca is a small, on average, two meters (some species grow up to 6 meters), a very fast growing tropical palm tree with several knobby trunks and a broad crown consisting of pinnate, sprawling leaves, bright green on the outside and pale on the inside, and the length these leaves can be one and a half, or even three times the height of the tree itself. Both the trunk and the scapes of the Baltic herring leaves are covered with dark thorns and the same scales that cover the surface of the fruit. 
The male and female plants can be distinguished by the shape and size of the inflorescences: in “boys” they can reach a meter long and look like a mace, in “girls” they are at least three times shorter.
Clusters of fruits are formed directly above the ground, at the base of the trunk. They are small, the size of a kiwi fruit, red-brown fruit, shaped like a pear or a drop of water, tapering towards the base with a wedge. The weight of each such fruit varies between 50 and 100 grams, length - up to 8 cm, about 3-4 cm in diameter. Under the scaly skin there is a translucent juicy flesh of white or cream color, usually divided into three segments, and from one to three seeds is dark. - brown (they are considered inedible, although in some countries they are boiled, cleaned and eaten).
Important! Cancers, which inexperienced Europeans often confuse with the Baltic herring, believing that this is simply the Thai name for the same fruit, is in fact the fruit of another plant, although it is a close relative of Salacca zalacca. Unlike snake fruit, crayfish has a red rather than brown skin and is somewhat different in taste.
The distribution area of sprat is practically the entire zone of tropical and subtropical climate, but mainly still Southeast Asia. In addition to Thailand, this palm tree grows in Malaysia, Indonesia, and India, where its fruits are not only used to prepare a variety of dishes and drinks, but are also successfully exported. In Indonesia, however, palm fruits year-round, and in Malaysia and Thailand - only in the summer months.
The taste of "snake fruit"
Describing the taste of an exotic fruit to someone who has never tried it is the same as explaining to a person who has lived in the forest all his life what the ocean is. Each taster comes to mind with their own associations. Besides Salak can vary greatly in taste depending on where it grew up.
Some claim that snake fruit is most like a mixture of banana and pineapple, smelling like nuts; others say it is a cross between a kiwi and a strawberry, some still remember the gooseberry, the fourth about the cherry, and the fifth about the crispy peach. At the same time, everyone notes a very strong aroma and a rich sweet-and-sour taste, unusually pleasant and refreshing.
Did you know? Gourmets assure that the most delicious snake fruit can be tasted in Bali, as well as on the island of Java near Yogyakarta. The sweetest variety is Pondoh Salacca, and the most expensive - Gula pasir (translated as "fine-grained sugar").
There are, however, those who do not share rave reviews about the taste of sprat, comparing its pulp with cotton, which has the smell of valerian or corvalol. 
How to choose ripe fruit
Perhaps the skeptics mentioned just got unripe fruits that can really taste bitter, and besides, like a persimmon, they cause an unpleasant astringent sensation in the mouth. This is due to the high content of tannins in the immature fruits, which, in contact with mucous membranes, provoke constriction of blood vessels, which is felt as numbness.
Learn more about the beneficial properties of such exotic fruits as kiwi, bail, avocado, longan, kivano, granadilla, pineapple, guava, jackfruit, lychee, papaya.
The immature salak is not just not tasty, but also quite harmful. But the trouble is that almost all the exotic fruits delivered to our counters from afar, are objectively harvested to full maturity, otherwise they simply will not carry long-term transportation and storage. At the same time, it is difficult for the buyer, who does not have enough experience in “communicating” with this unfamiliar fruit, which fruit is ripe and which is green.
Experts advise first of all to smell sprat. Intense aroma indicates the achievement of fruit technical maturity. 
The second indicator is the dark color of the skin. If the scales are purple or pink, get ready for the flesh to be very sour. In addition, the acid is more in small fruits; the larger the sprat, the sweeter it is.
Important! The fruit must be firm - softness appears when it is overripe and begins to rot.
Beneficial features
Salak, like any other fruit, has many beneficial properties due to biologically active substances that are part of it. The list of such substances may differ slightly depending on the variety of fruit and the place of its growth, but, anyway, its pulp contains:
- vitamins - beta-carotene (vitamin A), ascorbic acid (vitamin C), thiamine (vitamin B1) and riboflavin (vitamin B2);
- minerals - iron, calcium, phosphorus and potassium;
- dietary fiber (fiber);
- organic acids;
- polyphenolic compounds;
- tannins (tannins);
- pterostilbene (peel).
So, from the healing qualities of herring can be noted:- antioxidant and anti-cancer properties;
- cleansing the body of various toxins and decomposition products;
- astringent, hemostatic and anti-inflammatory effect (due to tannins);
- immunity strengthening;
- prevention of strokes and other cardiovascular diseases;
- stimulation of cell regeneration;
- regulation of water and hormonal balance;
- stimulation of the brain, memory improvement;
- lowering blood cholesterol levels, preventing diabetes;
- improvement of the digestive tract (used in the diet, helps with constipation, diarrhea, heartburn);
- beneficial effect on the nervous system (to lift the mood using a special decoction of the rind of snake fruit);
- suppression of unpleasant symptoms of menopause.
Did you know? In the birthplace of Salacca zalacca, the fruits and leaves of this palm tree are used to restore vision, as well as to treat hemorrhoids. At the same time, the natives weave original rugs out of the petioles, and cover the roofs of their huts with leaves.
Calorie pulp of snake fruit varies in the range of 50-130 kcal per 100 g, and these are mainly carbohydrates.
Harm herring
Despite all of the above “usefulness”, Europeans should not treat snake fruit as a medicinal plant. The main danger of Baltic herring is its exoticism, and this applies to all overseas delicacies. The human body is focused on the use primarily of those products that are traditional in its homeland.
There is no reliable evidence that salak has increased allergenicity, but a negative reaction when eating unfamiliar food is always possible. therefore do not eat this fruit immediately in large quantities. It is also undesirable to give it to children, especially those prone to allergies.
Fans of growing exotic plants at home are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the features of planting and caring for avocados, pitahaya, annona, feijoa, kivano, longan, mango, papaya.
Separately, it should be said about the danger of using unripe herring. Although tannins have certain beneficial properties, they can also cause serious harm to the body. By binding to the fiber, they linger in the stomach, turning its contents into a dense polymer mass. With low acidity or weak motility of the gastrointestinal tract, this is fraught with at least constipation, as a maximum - obstruction. 
The good news is that tannins disintegrate in the process of ripening sprat.
Of course, problems with digestion can cause not only immature, but also overripe (stale) fruits. You can not buy damaged fruit, they deteriorate especially quickly.
Important! The danger of eating an unripe snake fruit (however, like persimmons) is aggravated if you drink it with milk.
Poisoning is also fraught with violation of hygiene when using overseas products. Despite the fact that salak is eaten peeled, after a long period of transportation, during which the fruit may come into contact with sources of a wide variety of infections, the fruit must be washed very thoroughly under running water before cleaning.
How is it
The snake skin of the Baltic herring is thin and dense, like a shell. It is removed quite easily, just like the shell of a boiled egg, but the problem is that the fruit is covered with small spikes, which, if not experienced, can be easily hurt. To avoid this, we act strictly according to the instructions:
- Armed with a sharp knife and a thick kitchen towel.
- In the left hand we take a towel and, holding the fruit with it, carefully cut off its sharp tip.
- Putting the cuticle in a cut place with a knife so that you can see the segments that make up the fruit.
- Continuing to hold the fruit with a towel, we make longitudinal cuts on the peel along the border between the segments.
- Using a knife or nail, pry off the skin, then carefully remove it, holding with your fingers to the inner, devoid of spines, side.
- We divide the peeled fruit into segments and - bon appetit!
VIDEO: HOW TO CHOOSE AND CLEAN SALAC Salak, like any other fruit, is most useful fresh (for variety, you can add it to some salad, not necessarily fruit), but in countries where these fruits are not exotic, they are used much more diversely.
Did you know? Salacca wine bali is a unique and unique alcoholic drink in the world made from snake fruit. It is made in Bali in the village of Sibetan, located on the Karangasem River. The idea to cook sprat wine was born to local farmers not from a good life. The fact is that during the harvest season of snake fruits growing here in huge quantities, their price drops sharply - thus, it is very unprofitable for the peasants to sell the fresh crop, and the poor have no modern storage facilities. The decision to use fruit for fermentation was very successful from a commercial point of view. This allowed not only to solve the problem of conservation, but also to make the village a place of pilgrimage for tourists. The wine has a strength of 13.5%, for the preparation of one liter of this drink you need about 4 kg of fresh fruit.
Thais are more likely to use salak for cooking crackers, sauces and other dishes that involve heat treatment. Indonesians boil it in sugar, like compote (manisan salak), and unripe tart fruits are “seasoned” by keeping for a week in a marinade of sugar, salt and boiled water (asinan salak).
Let's sum up. Salak is one of the exotic fruits that everyone should try at least once in their life. It is better, of course, to do it in the homeland of the plant, by combining the tasting with a bright and unforgettable journey, because it is the only way to be sure that the product is high-quality and fresh. But even in this case, it should be remembered that any unfamiliar food is fraught with potential danger, and the fact that local people use as a proven medicine for a visitor can become a real poison.
Reviews
Then I read that this fruit is also very useful. It contains tannin, which removes harmful substances from the body. In addition, it has astringent, hemostatic effect, improves immunity. Its caloric content is 50 kcal per 100 grams.
That fruit ate about 10 minutes ago, and my hands still smell like a snack!
In general, there will be an opportunity, be sure to try it!
