What is rabbit food?
Bunny chow (also known as Durban bunny chow, bunny or kota – short for quarter bread) is a South African fast food dish that originated in the South African city of Durban and consists mainly of people of Indian ancestry. It is made from a hollow piece of bread filled with curried lamb, chicken or vegetables (not rabbit). The part of the bread from which it is extracted is called “virgin” and is served by dipping it into a bread bowl filled with curry. It is somewhat reminiscent of a clam chowder bread bowl or a chili bowl. Like most fast food, bunny food is traditionally eaten with bare hands.

The history of the bunny chow is debatable, but it is widely believed that it was first made sometime in the mid-20th century by Indian traders (called “banias”) for Indian migrant workers so that they could bring the food into the workforce. Banias were mispronounced as “bunnies” and chow was a common term for food, hence the term “bunny chow” was coined.

Where can I get it?
You can get rabbit at some African restaurants (but mainly South African restaurants). Here are a few restaurants that are known for this unique South African dish.

Miami, Florida: The Big Easy

Rabbit Week Miami
Photo: Kaia Wine Bar on Facebook
San Francisco, CA: Amawele’s South African Kitchen

Photo: Amawele’s South African Kitchen on Facebook
Seattle, Washington: Cederberg Tea House

Little Bunny Seattle
Photo: cederbergteahouse.com
New York, New York: Kaia Bar
Bunny Week New York, NY

Photo: Kaia Wine Bar on Facebook
San Diego, CA: Malt Dinner

bunny chow San Diego
Photo: Malt Dinner on Facebook
Looking for more places that serve rabbit food? You can find them on Glutto.

How can I do that?
Unless you want to make it from scratch, rabbit food is really quick and easy to make. Instead of searching around for all the right ingredients, the best and most painless way is to pick up some good bread and curry. Follow this “recipe”, which you can save on Glutto here.

Ingredients
1/2 loaf of white bread (unsliced from your local bakery)
2 cups of curry (1 from a local Indian restaurant)
Directions
Cut off the middle of the bread with a knife and tear it off the bread (keeping the bottom intact).
Heat curry in a pot (if necessary). Fill the bread with the curry and set the virgin (middle of the bread) aside.
Enjoy!