Exotic Snakeskin Fruit

My friend just got her new car, and today she wanted to take it out for a drive. So, the both of us drove all the way to the Batu Niah Township. It took the both of us about an hour and a half to drive there from Miri.

My friend's brand new car . . .

We stopped at the Tamu by the roadside, where vendors sold local produce.

The busy Tamu . . .

Local produce at one of the stalls

One of my favourite vegetables is the pucuk midin. It is a variety of fern found in Sarawak. Pucuk midin is characterised by its curled tip, and has a crunchy texture when cooked.

Pucuk midin for sale at the Tamu

I think it is the corn season now, as there are number of stalls that sell corn on cob. A bunch costs RM5.00.

Corn on Cob

One of the stalls had durians.

Durians

Buah salak is abundant at the Niah area. It is a species of the palm tree and the fruits grow in clusters.

A cluster of snakeskin fruit

The skin is reddish-brown in colour, and is akin to the scales of snakes, and thus sometimes, Buah salak is referred to as the Snakeskin Fruit.

Scaly skin . . .

Buah salak is the shape of a fig. Peel off the scaly skin, and find the pulp in lobes.

Buah salak pulp

The taste is sweet and tart at the same time, the texture crumbly and sometimes crunchy. Its taste is distinctive, and not many people like it.

I ate my first buah salak when I came to Miri years ago, and I grew to like it over the years. I cannot resist buying a kilo or two whenever I go to Batu Niah.