This is snake fruit, also called "ragam" or "sala." It grows in clusters on a tree similar to a palm tree that is native to Southeast Asia. It has a reddish-brown scaley skin, covered in these tiny sharp spines. A grocery bag full of these cost me about 40 baht at the market (a little over $1).
To peel open the snake fruit, you have to carefully pinch one end and rip off the skin from there. I actually got a pretty bad splinter in my thumb the first time I tried.
Voila! Inside, there is a yellowish firm fruit. Usually it will have at least two sections growing side by side (we call it the snake butt, if that gives you an idea of what it looks like...) but this one had just one. It has a consistency similar to a pear or apple, with a large seed or pit in the middle. It tastes sour and tangy, a lot like a sour candy.
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