Grano Arso Cingoli Festival – From Farm to Table

The festival that tells the story of burnt wheat

In the town of Carapelle, in the province of Foggia, in the heart of the Tavoliere delle Puglie, the Grano Arso Cingoli Festival – From Farm to Table is now one of the most anticipated gastronomic events in the Capitanata region. Every year, usually in September, Piazza Giovanni Paolo II transforms into a large open-air stage dedicated to the territory's signature product: grano arso (burnt wheat).

A humble product turned into an excellence

Grano arso was born from a history of hunger and ingenuity. In the fields of the Tavoliere, after the harvest and the burning of the stubble, farm laborers would collect the blackened grains left on the ground and grind them to obtain a dark, fragrant flour. From that necessity, a tradition was born: flour made from burnt wheat, with its intense, smoky flavor, is now a sought-after ingredient in Apulian cuisine. In Carapelle, it takes center stage in the form of cingoli, a handmade pasta that gives the festival its name.

UNPLI Quality Festival Label

The event has achieved a prestigious recognition: the Quality Festival label from the Italian National Union of Pro Loco (UNPLI), awarded to festivals that promote traditional products historically linked to the territory. This is a historic achievement, the first of its kind for the UNPLI Tavoliere Delegation and the province of Foggia. The award honors the work of Pro Loco Carapelle APS, which manages the organization by combining the preservation of peasant memory with the tourism promotion of the village.

Tastings, conferences, and entertainment

The festival is not just about food: alongside tastings of cingoli and dishes based on burnt wheat, the program alternates between cultural insights, conferences on the agricultural roots of the Tavoliere, and a rich lineup of music and entertainment in the square. Recent editions have hosted well-known names from the Italian entertainment scene, attracting a large audience from across the Capitanata and beyond to Puglia.

A piece of Apulian identity

Attending the Grano Arso Festival means experiencing an authentic fragment of the identity of inland Puglia, far from the most touristy routes: a Tavoliere village telling its own story through food, the history of its farmers, and the conviviality of a festive square. An opportunity to discover Carapelle and one of the most original flavors of Apulian gastronomy.