Salak pondoh is an important fruit in Yogyakarta province.

Its popularity (compared with other cultivars) among local Indonesian consumers is mainly due to the intensity of its aroma, which can be overripe and sweaty even before full maturation.

The fruit grow in clusters at the base of the palm, and are also known as snake fruit due to the reddish-brown scaly skin.

They are about the size and shape of a ripe fig, with a distinct tip. The pulp is edible. The fruit can be peeled by pinching the tip, which should cause the skin to slough off so it can be pulled away.

The fruit inside consists of three lobes with the largest of the three containing a large inedible seed. The lobes resemble, and have the consistency of, large peeled garlic cloves.

The taste is usually sweet, but its apple-like texture can vary from very dry and crumbly (salak pondoh from Yogyakarta) to moist and crunchy (salak Bali).