Snake fruit (salak): taste and e-liquids

Snake fruit, or salak, is a Southeast Asian fruit you recognise instantly by its brown, scaly skin, which looks just like snakeskin. Under that shell sits white to cream-coloured flesh in segments, with a sweet and tangy taste often compared to a mix of pineapple, apple and banana, with a slight astringent note.

In vaping, it has become one of the most intriguing exotic notes on the fruity shelf. For a lot of people, the name comes before the fruit: they discover it on an e-liquid label before ever tasting it. This guide puts things in order: where snake fruit comes from, what it really tastes like, what manufacturers pair it with, and which snake fruit e-liquids to choose from our range, starting with the SALAK line.

Where does snake fruit come from?

Salak, botanical name Salacca zalacca, is a fruit from Southeast Asia. It is found in particular in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia.

The nickname is no accident. The fruit is covered in a brown skin made of small, tight scales, exactly like a snake's. That skin gave it its English name, "snake fruit", while "salak" echoes its botanical name. Both refer to the same fruit, and you will see both on labels.

Once the skin is peeled away, you find white to cream flesh split into segments. Nothing like the outside: that is the whole charm of the fruit, an almost reptilian wrapping around a soft interior.

What does snake fruit taste like?

It is the question everyone asks, and the answer fits in two words: sweet and tangy. Salak is neither a very sour fruit like lemon nor a purely sweet one like ripe banana. It sits between the two.

To describe it, people most often compare it to a mix of pineapple, apple and banana. Pineapple for the bright, exotic side, apple for the fruity backbone, banana for the roundness. On the finish, many notice a slight astringent note, that little tightening sensation, a bit like grape skin.

E-liquids mostly pick up the sweet, exotic side of the fruit. The SALAK range, for example, places salak flesh "somewhere between pear and pineapple": a way of saying it is soft and juicy with a tropical spark. Other makers talk about an "intense, exotic" snake fruit or an "exotic softness". What they share: a fruit that adds depth without overpowering whatever sits next to it.

Snake fruit in e-liquid: what it pairs with

Snake fruit is rarely vaped on its own. It is an excellent blending fruit: its exotic sweetness ties things together, and it takes on a different character depending on its partner. Here are the pairings you will find on our shelves.

With kiwi: soft and sparkling

Fruit du Serpent Kiwi marries the sweet flesh of salak, somewhere between pear and pineapple, with the tangy freshness of kiwi. The result is an original exotic fruitiness, both soft and sparkling. If you want one recipe to understand salak, this is a good place to start.

With pomegranate: softness and vivacity

In Fruit du Serpent Grenade, the sweet flesh of salak embraces a juicy pomegranate, sun-soaked and delicately tangy. An exotic, indulgent fruitiness, between softness and vivacity. Pomegranate also features in Call of Vape's Assault: a wave of juicy, tangy red berries, the invigorating burst of pomegranate, and snake fruit adding an exotic depth to the blend.

With red fruits and berries: deeper

This is the most common pairing. Fruit du Serpent Mûre Myrtille unites the exotic softness of salak with juicy blackberry and wild blueberry, for an indulgent fruitiness with woody, delicately sweet notes. Kyoto Storm's Musashi pairs an exotic, intense snake fruit with tangy red raspberries, while wild blueberry brings a deeper note on the finish. And Artefact's Tallok marries juicy red berries and exotic snake fruit, with a touch of freshness.

With pineapple or strawberry: sun-drenched or rounded

Kyoto Storm's Akashi pushes the tropical side: an intense, exotic snake fruit teamed with a juicy, sweet pineapple, for a powerful duo, sharp and sun-drenched. At the other end, Nektar's Fruit du Serpent Fraise weaves snake fruit through a delicate, sweet strawberry: a wonderfully rounded duo, with no fresh note.

The fresh version

If you like your fruit with a little freshness, there are two options. Liquideo's Fruit du Serpent Freeze offers a sweet flavour with a crunchy note and a hint of freshness that brings sorbet to mind. Tallok, mentioned above, also plays that card with its touch of freshness over the red berries.

Our selection of snake fruit e-liquids

The SALAK range is the only one in our catalogue built entirely around snake fruit: three recipes in 500ml, 60/40 ratio, designed and made in France. Around them, the best pairings on the shelf, in 50ml and 100ml.

Want to explore other exotic or more classic fruits? Our fruity e-liquid guide covers the flavours vapers love most.

Frequently asked questions

What does snake fruit taste like?

A sweet and tangy taste, often compared to a mix of pineapple, apple and banana, with a slight astringent note on the finish. In e-liquid, it is mainly the soft, exotic side that comes through: the SALAK range places it "somewhere between pear and pineapple".

Are snake fruit and salak the same thing?

Yes. "Salak" echoes its botanical name, Salacca zalacca; "snake fruit" describes its brown, scaly skin, which looks like snakeskin. It is a Southeast Asian fruit, grown in particular in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia.

What does snake fruit pair with in e-liquid?

With almost any fruit that has character: kiwi and pomegranate (SALAK range), red fruits and berries (Mûre Myrtille, Musashi, Tallok, Assault), pineapple (Akashi) or strawberry (Nektar). Its exotic sweetness ties things together and gives the partner more depth.

Is there a fresh snake fruit e-liquid?

Yes: Liquideo's Fruit du Serpent Freeze, sweet with a hint of sorbet-like freshness, and Tallok, red berries and snake fruit with a touch of freshness. If you prefer it without, Nektar's Fruit du Serpent Fraise is described as having no fresh note.

Which snake fruit e-liquid should I start with?

To discover the fruit in a range entirely devoted to it, SALAK's Fruit du Serpent Kiwi, soft and sparkling. If you would rather try a smaller size first, Akashi (with pineapple) or Fruit du Serpent Fraise (with strawberry) come in 50ml.