Spathlo, bunny chow, skhambane: This is SA street food, Soweto style

In case you have been living under a rock, a kota (township approximation of “quarter”) is made from a hollowed-out quarter loaf of bread with a variety of fillings and traditionally enjoyed with a carbonated drink. Depending on which part of South Africa you come from, you might know it as a spathlo (Pretoria), bunny chow (Durban) or skhambane (Mpumalanga).

In townships, kotas are generally filled with slap chips and sausages such as viennas and sold for about R15. Last year's Soweto Kota Fest proved that the South African street food favourite has gone to private school and now twangs.

The combinations of fillings were endless as stall owners showed off their creativity. One of the most popular was the “walkie-talkie” kota, filled with gravy, chips and marinated chicken feet. In my opinion, it walked away with the “Best Spice Combination” award, thanks to copious amounts of MSG in the form of Aromat.

The “Most Creative” kota award went to an onion ring-shaped beef patty filled with organic lettuce and Italian 1,000 Island sauce. The kota was made out of barley bread. Just looking at it made visitors salivate, until they saw the price: R99.

The kota market (insert “black people”) is known for its unwavering love of hot wings, so it made sense there would be a number of variations centred on chicken wings. Deep-fried, air-fried and grilled wings ruled the roost as they were paired with fillings like crispy bacon, chorizo and salami. The most outstanding chicken wings — filled with blue cheese, jalapeños and mashed potatoes — thoroughly deserved the “You Think You Can Fly” accolade.

Mopane/masonja, from the people of Limpopo, wormed their way onto the menu, attracting many XiTsonga-speaking people, while the mince-filled kota was a hit with Pedis. It was difficult to adjudicate, but the “King Shaka Zulu” award had to go to the tripe-filled kota, one for true enthusiasts.

WASH IT DOWN

The humble bunny chow, kota and skhambane all came about when non-South Africans, who were poorly paid in the bad ol' days, had to stretch their rand and feed themselves on sugar cane plantations, at gold mines and other places of employment.

White bread with all sorts of fillings was a cost-effective way to stay full for longer (before the concept of low GI was invented) and often washed down with ginger beer or water. Later, the kota was accompanied by the likes of Sixo/Fouro/Sweeto (cheap concentrates diluted with water), making the meal affordable. Until now.

The festival saw patrons pairing high-end kotas with wines from NgiyiMbali, a new entrant to the fermented grape scene. Imported craft and flavoured beers also made an appearance. Unbeknown to the security guards at the gate, who were meant to stop liquor being brought in, expensive vodkas and sparkling wines, rare Cognacs and cask-matured brandies were also paired with the township sandwiches.

After live entertainment and hubbly-bubblies, it was obvious the thousands who gathered at Rockville were generally happy with the weekend’s treats. However, there were reports of some visitors being fed semi-raw potatoes and Russians (the sausages, not the people) instead of the promised gourmet sausages.

I, on the other hand, had a submission to find a vegetarian or vegan kota. My brother and I split up, and with the help of the Apple Airtag — smart GPS-tracking voodoo that pairs you to within less than a metre — summoned each other when we located one.

The vegetarian kota, called 7 Colours Sunday, was made of wholewheat flour and filled with a Beyond Burger “beef” patty, sun-dried cherry tomatoes, baby potatoes, crispy carrots and Emmenthal cheese. It was garnished with what is referred to in the hood as “robot peppers”: red, green and yellow peppers.

PS: According to urban myth, you will only truly appreciate the taste of a kota once you have it as leftovers the next day.

The sixth annual Soweto Kota Festal is happening on Saturday and Sunday at Elkah in Rockville. Tickets are only available at Computicket and no tickets will be sold at the gate.

R120 for adults, R100 for students and R90 for children between four and 12 years.