Bunny Chow

We all know what a bunny is; those cute furry baby rabbits with pom pom tails. We probably all know what chow is; the slang word for food, a.k.a grub, nosh, munch or kos (in Afrikaans). But put two and two together and you get Bunny Chow; a traditional South African meal, predominantly found in Durban or elsewhere along the East Coast. In short, this grab-on-the-go food is a hollowed out half loaf of bread crammed with curry or other meaty-based stew type filling. Carb overload? Yes. Outcome? Scrumptious.

You’re probably thinking, ‘how in the world does this resemble rabbit food’, and you wouldn’t be the only one because those were my exact thoughts when I first came across the expression. Bunny Chow was created in Durban where a large community of Indian people settled but is now eaten among a wide range of ethnic groups.

All I can say that is whoever came up with the ingenious concept of shoving curry in a loaf of bread should have won a medal. For me, it goes hand in hand with the whole gravy in a Yorkshire pudding scenario. Delicious yet practical.

Bunny chow is sold frequently on the side of the road as well as in fast-food establishments. For relatively expensive ingredients that are used in the creation, you can buy it in South Africa for peanuts, roughly R20 (£1.50). Not bad hey? I’m sure it is being served in restaurants too but I can’t imagine there is a market for it in the more classy places. Half a loaf of bread on a plate is unsightly enough as it is, let alone without the bulging meaty filling (that sounds a bit racy doesn't it? I apologise).

You certainly don’t want to be eating too many Bunny Chows unless you want to end up like a heffa lump, but every once in a while it is gorgeously indulgent treat. I first tried it in Scottburgh, a small town on the East Coast when Rog & I were staying with Leon & Neels at Ambercrest Guesthouse. They were kind enough to invite us for supper and when I heard Bunny Chow was on the menu, I was really happy as I hadn’t tried it yet (and it is my goal to sample each and every traditional South African dish).

So if you are ever feeling hungry, and when I say hungry, I mean could-eat-a-horse type of hungry, and you have left over curry or casserole of some variety, then definitely give this one a try. It is a total winner. There are no rules when eating Bunny Chow, anything goes really; sod the knife and fork and instead simply get stuck in. Tug off pieces of bread and then mop up and devour the meaty core. I am thinking it would be absolutely perfect for a hangover.