Street Classic · Durban Curry

Bunny Chow

Photo: CharmaineZoe's Marvelous Melange from England / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

There's no rabbit in it — one popular theory traces the name to 'bania', an Indian merchant caste whose Durban eateries sold it.

A hollowed-out quarter, half, or full loaf of white bread filled with curry — traditionally mutton, chicken, or bean — and topped up to the brim. It's eaten with the fingers, tearing off chunks of the bread walls to scoop up the curry, usually with a side of carrot-and-chili sambal.

Why it's made this way: It emerged among Durban's Indian community, dated to the 1940s, as a way to serve a full curry meal without cutlery or a plate.