The Humble Bunny Chow

Well, I never!!! I have just read, on a food blog, that the Bunny Chow originated during the apartheid era in South Africa, when people were restricted from using cutlery!!! What hogwash. O yes, and a loaf of bread was scooped out and filled with atchar or fufu? Huh??? Why not fill it with tofu and raw vegetables??

The humble Bunny Chow originated in Durban, KZN. No where else. Durban is famous for their Bunny Chows and it is a popular “street” food. In fact, if you have not eaten a Bunny when you have visited Durban, you have missed out on a big part of the food culture there.

Now, the perfect Bunny is either half or quarter loaf of white bread, preferably fresh. Then it is hollowed out and in goes the curry. The most popular always will be mutton of course. But you can also choose between beef, mince, chicken, sugar beans and vegetable curry. With this you will get some sambals, made from grated carrots, onion and chillies or tomato, onion and chilli. I prefer the carrot version. Some curries are much hotter than others. Especially if they have used “mother in law’s tongue” masala.  But then again, people who have lived in Durban for many years, like me, or still live there, are not scared of a little curry and chillies. In fact, we get withdrawal symptoms when we have not eaten a Durban Bunny or curry for a period of 2 weeks. And if you do not live in Durban anymore, you have a serious problem. No other city (even though they try), have the proper Durban Bunny Chow. The Durbanites are very proud of their Bunny Chows.

Now, a Bunny Chow, is unfortunately not for the elegant eater. You get your Bunny on a plate or wrapped in paper, you take the loose piece of bread off the top. Now you break the Bunny, first in half and then you tuck in. Dipping the loose piece of bread into the sauce and then you eat the rest of the bread with the meat and potato and some of the sambal. Of course the only way to break the heat, will be if you have either a glass of beer, a glass of water or an ice cold coke at hand. Some of us connoisseurs in Durban believe you should have a glass of milk. I go straight for the kill and have neither water, milk, beer or coke. As you can see, I am a tough old bird. And my favourite is “quarter chicken with sugar beans on the top, please”.

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We are blessed to have this “street food”. The Bunny Chow has been perfected by the Indian South Africans, descended from the first Indians in South Africa from around 1860 and most live in and around the city of Durban, making it the “largest “Indian” city outside India. And from them the Bunny Chow was born. As to where the name Bunny Chow came from? Well, it is still one of the great mysteries of the food world.

Oh…how I miss my Bunnies!!!!