Dream-Travel

Indian Influence on the Durban Cuisine

Southafrica

The variety of cultures combined in Durban offer such a wide spectrum of culinary delights that the most difficult part about going out is definitely the decision whether one feels like Indian, African or European food.

Be daring, try something different from that what you are used to, get to know the Durban cuisine and speciallities!

First of all there is the bunny chow. This is a Durban speciality, consisting of a loaf of bread or part of it, hollowed out and filled with a spicy curry and sambals. It is a cheap, tasty and easy way to get the authentic Durban taste. For a quick bite to eat to fill that empty spot in your stomach a samoosa or two can just as well do the trick. These are triangular deep fried pockets of dough filled with a variety of curries, most common either mince or potatoes so that even as a vegetarian you don’t have to miss out on that treat.

As you probably noticed Durban and curry go hand in hand. This is due to the influence of the large Indian population in and around Durban, most of whose ancestors came to Durban as indentured labourers on the sugar cane fields or as businessmen. When they came over they brought the authentic Indian spices with them. Nowhere else in South Africa you will find such an abundance of good Indian restaurants that serve curries in all varieties. The Tandoor Palace on the beachfront, the Ullundi in the Royal Hotel or Govindas, the pure vegetarian restaurant at the Sri Sri Radhanath Temple of Understanding in Chatsworth to name just a few.
To be continued