- Bunny chow
Bunny chow is a slang term for a
South Africa nfast food consisting of a hollowed out loaf ofbread filled withcurry .It was created in
Durban , during the 1940s, home to a large community of people ofIndia n origin. The dish was developed whileapartheid was still in effect, but the precise origins of the food are disputed.One story (which also provides an etymology for bunny chow) has it that a restaurant run by people known as Banias (an Indian
caste ) first created the scooped-out bread and curry dish, in Grey Street, Durban. The food was a means to serve take-aways to excluded people. They cut out the centre portion of the bread and filled it with curry and capped the filling with the portion that was cut out.Stories of the origin of bunny chow have also dated as far back as the migrant Indian workers arrival in South Africa. One account suggests that Indian migrant workers from India were brought to South Africa to work the
sugar cane plantations of Kwazulu-Natal (Port Natal) and required a way of carrying their lunches to the field; the hollowed out loaf of bread was a convenient way to transport their vegetarian curries. Meat based fillings came later.Bunny chows are very popular amongst Indians, as well as other ethnic groups. Bunny chows are commonly filled with curries made using traditional recipes from Durban:
mutton or lamb,chicken andbean curries are popular fillings now, although the original bunny chow was vegetarian. Bunny chows are often served with a side portion of gratedcarrot , chilli andonion 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 strictly a messy fingers affair, locals find the use of utensils quite amusing.
References
*http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20071116095635684C735193
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