Guruni

Root vegetables of winter — daikon, carrot, taro — are diced and simmered lightly in a stock of small dried fish and soy sauce, a plain, homely dish. Guru is a Tosa dialect word meaning companions or everyone, and the name is said to come from throwing whatever vegetables were at hand into the pot together. It is said to have originally used six ingredients, a nod to the six characters of the Buddhist invocation Namu Amida Butsu, and depending on the area it is also known as oguru, or as itokoni, 'cousin stew,' when nine ingredients are gathered.

Daikon, carrot, taro, and other root vegetables are diced. They are simmered in a large pot of stock made from small dried fish, then seasoned with soy sauce. Simmering it again and again is said to let the flavor soak deeper into the vegetables, and many households are said to make a large batch at once and eat from it over several days. In some areas it is seasoned with miso instead.

In times when gathering food took far more effort than it does now, the dish is said to have taken root as something made in large batches from whatever vegetables were on hand, then reheated again and again. Old customs such as cutting everything into small cubes and always including a potato are said to be carried on today. Beyond including some form of potato, there is said to be no strict rule, so ingredients and seasoning vary by household, and in Tosa City it is said to be called itokoni once nine ingredients come together.