Bunnychow - Cuisine

Cuisine

Bunny chows are popular amongst Indians, as well as other ethnic groups in the Durban area. Bunny chows are commonly filled with curries made using traditional recipes from Durban: mutton or lamb, chicken, bean and chips with curry gravy are popular fillings now, although the original bunny chow was vegetarian. Bunny chows are often served with a side portion of grated carrot, chilli and onion salad, commonly known as sambals. A key characteristic of a bunny chow is created when gravy from the curry fillings soak into the walls of the bread, thereby rounding the dish off with the fusion of flavours & textures. Sharing a single bunny chow is not uncommon.

Bunny chows come in quarter, half and full loaves. When ordering a bunny chow in Durban, the local slang dictates that you need only ask for a "quarter mutton" (or flavour and size of your choice). Bunny chows are mainly eaten using the fingers; it is unusual to see locals use utensils when eating this dish. Bunny chow is presented to customers wrapped in yesterday's newspapers.

Today bunny chows are available in many small take-aways and Indian restaurants throughout South Africa. The price ranges from R6 for a quarter beans or dhal, to R40 for a quarter mutton bunny, and generally one can multiply the price of a quarter by between 3 and 4 to attain the price of a full bunny.

Each year, the Bunny Chow Barometer is held in September on the south bank of the Umgeni River, just above Blue Lagoon (a popular Sunday picnic spot), attracting numerous entrants from across the Durban Metro region to compete for the title of top bunny maker.