Bunny chow, often referred to as a Bunny[1] is a South African fast food dish co nsisting of a hollowed out loaf of bread

filled with curry, that originated in t he Durban Indian community. Bunny chow is also called a kota ("quarter")[citatio n needed] in many parts of South Africa.

Contents [hide] 1 History 2 Cuisine 3 See also 4 References 5 External links History[edit] The bunny chow was created in Durban, home to a large community of people of Ind ian origin. The precise origins of the food are disputed, although its creation has been dated to the 1940s. It was also sold in Gwelo, Rhodesia, during WWII an d is still sold in the nearby town of Kadoma, formerly known as Gatooma. One story which provides an etymology for bunny chow has it that a restaurant ru n by people known as Banias (an Indian caste) first created the scooped-out brea d and curry dish at a restaurant-cum-cafe called Kapitan's on the corner of Vict oria and Albert streets in Durban. The food was a means to serve take-aways to e xcluded people. During the apartheid regime, Indians were not allowed in certain shops and cafes and so the shop owners found a way of serving the people throug h back windows, etc. This was an easy and effective way to serve the workers. Th e traditional Indian meal was roti and beans, however rotis tended to fall apart as a take-away item. So 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.[2] Another story of the bunny chow's origin is that, as in India, merchants who tra ditionally sold their wares under the 'bania' tree (also known as the banyan, or Ficus bengalensis) were called 'bania'. The use of this name is known in India going back to antiquity. Stories of the origin of bunny chow date as far back as the migrant Indian worke rs arrival in South Africa. One account suggests that Indian migrant workers fro m India who were brought to South Africa to work the sugar cane plantations of K wazulu-Natal (Port Natal) required a way of carrying their lunches to the field; a hollowed out loaf of bread was a convenient way to transport their vegetarian curries. Meat based fillings came later. The use of a loaf of bread can also be ascribed to the lack of the traditional roti bread, in the absence of which a l oaf of bread would be acceptable as an accompaniment to curry. Cuisine[edit]

Quarter mutton bunny chow in Durban, South Africa Bunny chows are popular amongst Indians, as well as other ethnic groups in the D urban area. Bunny chows are commonly filled with curries made using traditional recipes from Durban: mutton or lamb, chicken, bean and chips with curry gravy ar e popular fillings now, although the original bunny chow was vegetarian. Bunny c hows are often served with a side portion of grated carrot, chilli and onion sal

ad, commonly known as sambals. A key characteristic of a bunny chow is created w hen gravy from the curry fillings soak into the walls of the bread, thereby roun ding 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 fin gers; 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, t o 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 th e Umgeni River, just above Blue Lagoon (a popular Sunday picnic spot), attractin g numerous entrants from across the Durban Metro region to compete for the title of top bunny maker. Minal Hajratwala has called the bun a metaphor for the first generation diaspora Indian, local from the outside but Indian at heart.[