Durban Dining

Ever nibbled on kudu?  Or experienced the delights of a bunny chow?

Durban is a gastronomic journey of discovery that owes much to its seaside location and the ethnic mix of its residents. 

Fresh fish and seafood are specialties in Durban, as are interesting game meats such as kudu, springbok and even crocodile! 

African restaurants offer dishes from all over the continent - from the couscous and chick pea North African-inspired cuisine, to the fiery hot peri-peri flavours of Mozambique.

KwaZulu-Natal has the highest Indian population outside India, and spicy Asian food has become an integral part of the Durban diet. 

You’ll also find Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Italian, French and all flavours of the world in our restaurants.  If all you want is a big, juicy char-grilled steak, then you’ve come to the right place!  Barbeques, or braais, as we call it here, are the national pastime.

What is a bunny chow?

A bunny chow (or bunny), is a hollowed-out loaf of bread filled with curry.  It is eaten by pulling off pieces of the loaf and dipping them into the spicy meat or vegetable curry nestling inside.

How did the bunny chow get its name?

The origins of the name 'bunny chow' are as varied as they are interesting - typically Durban, in fact!

One theory credits the name as evolving from Hindus known as Banias or Baniyas (from Sanskrit va-n.ijya). Indian civil rights activist Mohandas Gandhi, who led the Passive Resistance movement against colonial oppression in Durban and India, was Gujarati Bania.
Bunny chow legend one credits Bania cooks who used hollowed-out loaves of bread as makeshift containers to hold curries.

Bunny chow legend two credits the name to migrant Indian labourers in the sugarcane fields of Port Natal (now known as KwaZulu-Natal), who are said to have created this edible food 'container' to carry their lunches to the fields. It is said that these delicacies were named 'Bunny-' (relating to Bania or Gujerati people),' -chow' (the South African slang for food).  This innovative way of carrying hot food could also cater to the working class, who would quickly nip out for a hot 'take-out' meal.

Bunny chow legend three suggests the unthinkable(!) - that the origins of our prized bunny lie outside KwaZulu-Natal: in the Western Cape.  It is said that the tasty meal was known there as 'curry bunny', because of its contents: a curry-filled bun. 

Whatever the true origins of this Durban delicacy, the beauty of the bunny chow is that it requires no serving dish, plate or cutlery, and can be eaten anywhere!

Bunnies are sold as quarter-loaf, half-loaf or full-loaf servings, depending on your appetite.
From its humble origins, the Bunny Chow has developed into a KZN institution.  Whether you choose to eat a ‘quarter mutton’ from a takeaway, or order a mini ciabatta filled with delicately spiced lobster at a fine restaurant, you shouldn’t leave Durban without trying one. 

Hungry?  Find a KZN restaurant here

Tourism KZN Restaurant Guide: www.zulu.org.za/index.php?restaurants