🍱 Guruni

“Guruni” is a simmered dish made mainly of winter root vegetables such as daikons, carrots and taros. These are all vegetables that are easy to obtain in the prefecture. The word "guru" means "company" or "everyone" in the Tosa (Kochi) dialect, and is said to have originated from the simmering of various ingredients together. At a time when it was more difficult to procure food than it is today, a large quantity of guruni was made from vegetables that were available and eaten by reheating them over and over again. Originally, six ingredients were used to represent six kanji characters of the Buddhist invocation, “Namu Amidabutsu”. Today, a variety of foodstuffs are used. It is called "Oguru" in the Noichi area of Konan City. In Tosa City, when there are nine ingredients to be simmered, it is called “Itokoni”. The ingredients that are similar in genre, such as daikon, carrot, and burdock, or taro, konnyaku, and tofu, are likened to "itoko (cousins)". When three similar ingredients "itoko (cousins)" are there, it is called "Itokoni". Some of the customs, such as cutting the ingredients into squares and adding taros, have also been handed down today.