Why do you travel? The older I get, the more reasons I have for traveling. First and formost for me is nature and wildlife, then history, culture and you might find this surprising, but my newest reason – is food! To explore a countries local flavours, street dishes and traditional foods brings texture to my travel experience. So we’re introducing food into our blog. We will be sharing local food/street food/recipes and more from the countries we at Sunway Safaris visit. You can try these recipes out for yourself, share them with your friends and when you travel with us test out the “real-deal”.

So today, I am introducing to you the humble “Bunny Chow”, more affectionately known as a “bunny” or “let’s get bunnies for lunch”. This, oddly named but delicious, traditional on-the-go meal has become the icon of local food in Durban, South Africa.

A trip to Durban would not be complete without having a bunny. Bunny Chow was born out of the 40’s and the reasons for its birth are many and varied, however there are two common stories. Some say it originated in a “Bania” (a name used by the Gujarati speaking people) restaurant in Grey street, Durban during Apartheid, when Africans were not allowed enter restaurants and they needed to be able to take their food away. One clever Indian restaurant owner devised the half loaf container. Others believe that migrant workers needed some sort of container for their vegetable curry while they were walking to work. The migrants had originally carried their bean curry in a roti that broke easily…and so the robust quarter and half loaf bunnies were born. Whatever the story, whichever you would prefer to believe, Bunny Chow has made its way into the books of GREAT local food. bunny-620x414

What is it? It is a hollowed out half-loaf of bread, filled with mouth watering curry. Chicken, beef, mutton, vegetable or bean. The best bunnies are those where the sauce soaks into the walls of the bread. How do you eat it? Well, this can be a messy affair as sometimes it is not even served with a fork. You tear chunks of bread off the sides, using the piece of bread on-top to scoop out the curry being careful not to spill the contents. This meal of champions is best when paired with an ice-cold beer or coke. There is a great saying in South Africa “local is lekker!”. Be sure to enrich your stay and dine on some mouth-watering bunnies.