FOOD GLORIUS FOOD
South African cuisine is world-renowned for its unusual variety, derived from the culinary traditions of its diverse population. Here in Durban we have three main influences – African, Indian and Western.
On the Indian side, Durban is the home of the Bunny Chow – the half-loaf of bread, filled with some kind of tasty Durban curry. Bunnies as they are known are available at most take away shops and are the staple food of students and surfers as they are cheap, nutritious and filling – and very tasty.
The Bunny is one of the tastier leftovers from the apartheid days. In those days people of colour were not allowed to be seated in restaurants, but could be served take-aways through a small window in the back of the restaurant.
This was before the days of disposable containers so an innovative Durban restaurateur came up with the idea of combining the meal and container – he scooped the inside out of a loaf of bread, filled it with curry, used the scooped out bread as a lid and viola – the bunny chow.
Depending how hungry you are, Bunnies come in halves, and quarters as well with a variety of fillings.
Rotis are another Indian take-away that Durbanites delight in. A Roti is a flat, round pancake type of bread that is filled with a curry of your choice and rolled up. The Hare Krishna Temple in Chatsworth has a restaurant, Govindas, is open daily where you can enjoy pure vegetarian food, prepared according to their very strict standards.
Glossary of Foods
Amadumbe: Tubers boiled and peeled.
Amas: Sour-milk often mixed with hard maize porridge.
Beans: Cooked as part of a stew, boiled on their own, mixed with puthu into a thick mush.
Breyan: A blend of spicy curry, cloves, ginger and rice soaked overnight in yoghurt, speciality on offer in many Indian households and restaurants.
Bunny-chow: There is no Durban without bunny-chows. Using half a loaf of white bread, with the hard end as a base scoop out the middle, pack full with curry and sambals and replace the inside as a lid. An authentic Durban phenomenon.
Cane Rat: A delicacy enjoyed by rural folk.
Chicken Feet: Some people might sneer at our chicken feet, but township folk salivate at the mere mention of this snack called ‘walkie talkie’.
Chillies: Hot chili is the stuff eaten by any self-respecting Durbanite, goes with salad and chutneys.
Curries: Thanks to the Durbanites of Indian extraction, the majority of meals served in Durban households are curries.
Dhania: Fresh green coriander leaves used to flavour curries.
Fish: The turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean teem with a variety of fish ranging from shad to bass.
The annual sardine-run in May has Durbanites taking full advantage of the harvest.
Fruit: Subtropical Durban, the ‘Banana City’ with fruits such as bananas, mangoes, paw paws, litchis, pineapples and coconuts.
Pap and vleis: Durbanites enjoy their braai (barbeque). In the townships and at taxi ranks there are shisanyama outlets where you can buy a piece of meat and braai it on the fire.
Pan: Leaf of the betel tree, wrapped around lime and creca-nut parings, is chewed as a palate cleanserafter a meal.
Roti: A pancake made of flour, and filled with curry.
Sambals: Fresh, chopped onion, tomato, chilies and sometimes coriander. Served as a side dish with curry.
Samoosa: A three-sided deep fried triangle with spicy curry fillings.
Sorghum: Granules are ground into a fine mixture for breakfast cereal.
Sugar: The ‘white gold’ for Durban. Freshly squeezed cane juice is another favourite.
Uputhu: or Putu is a dry maize porridge enjoyed with a variety of stew dishes or roasted meats.
Vegetables: Colourful varieties grow in abundance, including juicy pumpkins, potatoes, amadumbe, cabbages, carrots , beetroot, mielies (corn) and sweet potatoes.