Salak

Salak
Salak fruit (salak pondoh cultivar)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Clade:	Commelinids
Order:	Arecales
Family:	Arecaceae
Genus:	Salacca
Species:	S. zalacca
Binomial name
Salacca zalacca (Gaertn.) Voss
Synonyms[1]
Calamus zalacca Gaertn. Salacca edulis Reinw. Salacca rumphii Wall. Salacca blumeana Mart. Calamus salakka Willd. ex Steud. Salacca edulis var. amboinensis Becc. Salacca zalacca var. amboinensis (Becc.) Mogea

Salak (Salacca zalacca) is a species of palm tree (family Arecaceae) native to Java and Sumatra in Indonesia. It is cultivated in other regions of Indonesia as a food crop, and reportedly naturalized in Bali, Lombok, Timor, Maluku, and Sulawesi.^[1][2]

It is a very short-stemmed palm, with leaves up to 6 metres (20 ft) long; each leaf has a 2-metre long petiole with spines up to 15 centimetres (5.9 in) long, and numerous leaflets. The fruits grow in clusters at the base of the palm, and are also known as snake fruit or snakeskin fruit due to the reddish-brown scaly skin. The fruit, resembling a ripe fig in size and shape, has a crunchy and moist consistency. The edible pulp inside, often compared to large peeled garlic cloves in appearance, offers a unique flavor profile. It typically presents a sweet and acidic taste with a notable astringent edge, which can vary significantly among different cultivars. The most recognized cultivars include the salak pondoh from Yogyakarta, known for its sweet flavor and dry, crumbly texture, and the salak Bali, famed for its moist crunchiness. The diversity in salak cultivars leads to a range of flavors, from intensely sweet to tangy and slightly sour, making it a fruit with a complex palate.