"Snake Fruit" (Baltic herring): useful properties, cultivation, photo

We all love fruit, and it is especially interesting to try exotic fruits that surprise with their taste, properties and appearance. One of these plants is the "snake fruit".

Where you can meet and taste the Baltic herring

The habitat of this fruit is mainly the countries of South-East Asia. In Malaysia and Thailand, the fruit ripens during the summer, and in Indonesia it can be found all year round.

It is commonly believed that the most delicious "snake fruit" grows in Bali and on the island of Java near Jogjakarta. Growing it in other countries is not particularly practiced, except at home from the stone, and this is a rather long and time-consuming process.

Why the "snake" fruit?

It is also interesting how the "snake fruit" is called and why. This interesting and delicious fruit has several names in different countries. In Thailand, this fruit is called "sala" or "rakum", but in Malaysia and Indonesia it is called "herring". In the English-speaking countries, the Baltic herring is known as "snake frut", which in translation means "snake fruit".

The name of the fruit does not at all about the fact that snakes like it, as one might think. Such an idea would have been quite the place to be, because the countries are exotic, where there are snakes full, it could well happen that this fruit somehow attracts cold-blooded reptiles.

But in fact the fruit got its name because of the appearance of the shell, which in color and texture resembles the scaly skin of a snake.

How the tree and fruit of the herrings look like

Salacca (herring) is a tree-like representative of the flora, which belongs to the Palm family. In other words, it is a palm tree that grows up to 2 meters high with a knobby short trunk. The porous leaves of the tree can reach a length of 3-7 meters. The leaves are characterized by spines on the petioles and valleys from above; The top part is green glossy, and the bottom - matte.

In itself, the plant looks a little repulsive because of the large number of spines. But this is a kind of natural protection for fruits that grow low above the ground. Due to this, few animals decide to "try" the snake fruit. The photo of this plant and fetus is not uncommon, the tree can be easily recognized.

The fruits of the herring are pear-shaped and taper to their base. The diameter of this fruit is only 3-4 centimeters, and weight - from 50 to 100 grams.

Outside, the snake fruit, as already mentioned, is covered with a scaly peel of brown color. From the inside, the pulp is milky-beige, rather dense in its consistency. The flesh is divided, as a rule, into 2-3 segments, in shape resembling garlic cloves. Inside each segment there are 1-2 bones that are easily removed.

The taste of "snake fruit"

The taste of this fruit can be different, it depends on its kind. According to the reviews of people who have already tried it, it's hard to say what it is, you can only conclude that it is very tasty.

Some say that the taste is like a banana and at the same time a pineapple, to other people it is more like cherries of a cherry, strawberry or gooseberry with a taste of a nut. There are even opinions that this fruit resembles cotton wool, "Corvalol" and valerian.

In any case, if the fruit is ripe, it is very pleasant and refreshing. Such a bouquet of flavors already makes you want to try the snake fruit and find out how it will manifest itself for you.

How to choose ripe fruits

Of course, the unripe fruit does not please your taste. As a rule, it is bitter or sour, has an astringent effect due to the tannins contained in it.

Ripe fruit is easy to choose. To do this, just smell the fruit. The aroma of a ripe fruit will be more saturated, and the color is darker among others.

It is important to know that the "snake fruit" (herring) should be firm. If it is soft, it means that it is overripe, was spoiled, incorrectly stored or transported.

The taste of the fruit will be the sweeter, the bigger it is. Small fruit will be sour. It is also worth noting that the pinkish shade of the peel indicates that the fruit will be acidic.

As there is a "snake fruit"

Eat "snake fruit", as a rule, in raw form simply or adding to a salad. From it you can prepare drinks, jam or jam. Also popular is a dish of marinated unripe herring, which is served to meat or fish as a snack.

Despite the fact that the fruit is prickly, it is not difficult to get to the pulp. There are a couple of ways to clean the fruit from the rind, you can apply both.

In the first method, you need to carefully peel off the dried ponytail and then clean the fruit as a boiled egg.

The second method is even simpler. You just need to press on the middle of the fetus and he will open himself on the lobules.

When using "snake fruit" in food, it is worth remembering that it is stored for a short time, so it is better to eat the cleaned fruit immediately. So you will taste its real taste.

Useful properties of "snake fruit"

"Snake Fruit" is truly a storehouse of useful substances and vitamins, considering also that it is also very tasty. The flesh of this fruit contains vitamin C, pectin, calcium, beta-carotene, potassium, phosphorus and iron.

Because of the content of these substances, Baltic herring is considered very useful for vision, has memory enhancement properties, and is also a good source of fiber. Also used in food to improve immunity and overall well-being.

Residents of South-East Asia are very fond of "snake fruit". Its useful properties do not end there. It is also believed that due to the astringent substance tannin, the fruit has a hemostatic property, removes harmful substances from the body, and is also good in fighting diarrhea and hemorrhoids.

As for the negative impact on human health, the herring does not. Of course, you need to remember that everything should be a measure, since overeating in any case will not give a positive effect. For some particularly sensitive people, a "mei fruit" can cause an allergic reaction.

How to grow a herring alone

Mostly the plant can be found in the wild and rarely when you meet it outside the range of its growth. Fruit is also little exported, as fruits are prone to rapid deterioration.

For these reasons, you want to grow the "snake fruit" yourself. Growing in the home such a tree is possible, you need only patience and proper care for it. In the wild, the plant can bear fruit for 50 years or more.

But before starting the cultivation, it is worth knowing that the palm tree will not be fruitable until after four years, if all the necessary conditions are provided, and the fruits themselves will ripen during the half-year. The tree grows very well, but for a long time.

The salad grows with the help of bones that are inside the flesh. So it will take several pieces.

Before you put the stone, it must first be soaked for several days in warm water (about 27 degrees). After this time, the bone will need to be planted in a special medium - heteroauxin and germinate, constantly providing a temperature of 20-30 degrees. After 3-4 weeks, seeds will be thrown out, then they will need to be transplanted.

For planting, select the soil for palm trees, it has all the necessary properties for herring. This is properly drained soil, the acidity level of which is 5-7 pH. The plant does not like direct sunlight and it needs a lot of moisture. If you do not provide high humidity and air temperature, the palm tree stops growing and may die. Salakkas will grow up somewhere in 3 months after landing in the ground.

When the palm tree becomes older, you need to monitor its appearance. Excess lateral shoots and leaves need to be removed on time, since with the appearance of spines on them it will be more difficult to do.

If within four years the palm will develop well, receive all the necessary substances, fertilizing, watering and temperature regime, it will please the first fruits. Of course, homemade fruit will not be as delicious as wild, yet they will still bring joy.