I couldn’t believe we were travelling 30 kilometres to eat bunny chow. Can’t we just stop at one of those ubiquitous Nandos instead?
But a friend insisted we savour the Durban delicacy, and promised it would be worth it. So we reached De’Ma restaurant at the Gateway Shopping Centre in Umhlanga in Durban to eat the famed bunny chow. “Quarter or half?” the waiter asked, followed by, “chicken or mutton?”
Asking for a quarter with chicken seemed a safe bet. The size of the loaf and overflowing chicken curry, like volcanic lava, was an overwhelming sight. The look and taste of the gravy was pretty much Indian. Unlike the Gatsby, which is Cape Town’s favourite sandwich, where a foot-long bread is stuffed with just about everything available in the refrigerator, bunny chow has just one filling — curry.
It’s the plating that truly takes the cake. An uncut loaf of bread, hollowed out in the centre is filled with curry, either chicken, mutton or sometimes beans-based gravies. A big cut-potato and carrot salad are served on the side along with the scooped-out bread, to be eaten with the gravy.
Succulent chicken pieces are well-cooked in tomato gravy and you can detect the distinct flavour of Indian spices. The closest Indian parallel I could think of is pav-bhaji . Halfway through, the bread loaf absorbs the curry, and as you go breaking the mountain of the bread, more curry spills out from the well. It’s a mess... but a delightful, finger-licking mess.
There’s no clear historical origin to Bunny Chow, though. It’s believed to be an Indian innovation in the 19th Century, when Indian workers arrived in South Africa. In between laborious work, they would pack their curries inside the bread to save time.
Bunny Chow also became popular during Apartheid, when most restaurant owners would not allow black diners inside their restaurants, and instead, would pack the curries inside a loaf of bread and give it as a takeaway.
The very name ‘bunny’, many agree, is derived from the ‘bania’ community, who’d run these restaurants. But for most Durban residents now, bunny chow is a staple, a fast takeaway option, or even an evolved fine dining experience.
Either way, while in Durban, make sure not to miss this chow!
