Monday, June 15, 2009

Bunny Chow!

Last week I ate my first 'bunny'! Not a rabbit, but the South African dish which originated in Durban!It consists of hollowed out loaf of bread, filled with curry. It came into being as an easy form of take-away for labourers in the 1940s. The bread contains the curry and pieces are broken off and dipped into the stew.
My daughter and I ordered Quarter Bunnies [1/4 loaf of bread]. I had deboned mutton and she ordered chicken. I don't do hot stuff well, and we choked and cried and laughed and blew our noses and drank milk and water in an attempt to make progress!I am glad I did it! Not sure that I will try it again though!

Read more of the history of Bunnies here and here! See Kath's story about an upmarket Bunny place here!
Tomorrow's a public holiday here, so I'll see you on Wednesday!

18 comments:

Tommy Bahama Bedding said...

Hmmm...I've never heard of bunnies - sounds yummy, though :)

Estelle said...

Sounds like so much fun! Nothing seems to help for that burn, though...
In Jozi our bunny chows aren't necessarily curried, so it's "safe" to order one next time you are here (-:
Such an amazing country we live in with such rich cultures. Love it!

kat said...

Ha, Ha - How great to see this post!

At "The Quarter" we put 'rules' on the wall about eating bunny chow. One of those is that you should never reveal how hot the meal is: "Sweating beads is considered un-cool when eating a vinda-loo. Just take a sip and chill, honey bunny."

When next in CT you'll have to try one of the more 'gourmet' (not so hot) versions!

Denise Kiggan said...

Not only did I blow it by showing just how much I was suffering from the chilli, but I also put the thing on a plate. I guess that's not done either!

Heather Moore said...

What fun! Have you seen that Woollies is selling mini, bite-sized cocktail bunnies?

Jesse said...

The way to eat hot stuff is to build up your tolerance levels - if you wait too long before your next bunny, it'll be hard to get through. But if you have another the next day - it's a breeze!

Denise Kiggan said...

Ok, perhaps I need to try the bite size Woolies ones and slowly build up my tolerance that way?!

Estelle said...

No, you need to come to Jozi first to try ours, and only Then can you try the Woolies ones. (-:

Denise Kiggan said...

Ok Estelle - I am going to have to work out a whole Bunny program!

Estelle said...

Woo Hoo. Remember Jozi is far more central than the Cape! (-:
Just found a lekker website that needs exploring.
For now:
http://www.southafricalogue.com/food-drink/southafricanisms-the-bunny-chow.html

Nenslens said...

It looks delicious! I like the idea of the bread and stew but I can't do the hot and spicy either.

Anairam said...

Haha - I would have liked to see you snuffling your way through one! I love a good hot curry. These look quite good - anyway, I am now determined to try one at the local place here!

Chris said...

That actually sounds really good, although I'm like you and have a low tolerance for hot stuff :)

Di Overton said...

I would love to try that. YUM

Wildflower Studio (Michelle Dransart) said...

yum! Never heard of it before, but I'd love to try it!

Estelle said...

Such a lovely lively chat re food (-:
In the Welcoming Words of the Confederations Cup (Soccer): Ke nako! (It's time)... time for sharing our delicious cultures and amazing foods ...

Unknown said...

We call it the Golden Pillow here in Singapore http://www.goldenpillow933.com.sg/

Check it! Btw, LOVEEEEE your blog ;D

Elv Freiheit said...

Wow! Can't believe it was your first! Yum! Those bunnies definitely look swish!