Flora and Fauna of Tropical Asia

Continuing on the journey of discovery of exotic fruits here in Cambodia, today I’d like to present salak (Salacca zalacca). A product of a palm tree, salak belongs to the category of really unusual foods, normally found in traditional markets only. It won’t be to everybody’s palate – its strong, somewhat sweet but mostly sour taste would probably make many people frown, but others might find the exotic experience pleasantly invigorating. The flesh of the fruit isn’t particularly attractive; unlike the pure white flesh of rambutan or mangosteen, salak, with its dirty-looking yellow to brown patches, might be… Continue reading →