Non solo Còtta Còtt

A festival born from a street cry

In Troia, there is a sound that the elders still remember well: «mén mén ch'è còtta còtt», meaning «come, come, it's cooked through». It was the call used by two local women, Filomena and Marietta, as they wandered the narrow alleys of the historic center selling their beef tripe soup, slow-cooked according to the rules of traditional Daunian peasant cuisine. Since 1990, the Pro Loco of Troia has taken the name for one of the town's most iconic events from this popular cry: «Non solo Còtta Còtt», the tripe festival that brings the historic center's squares to life every summer.

The signature dish: Còtta Còtt

The undisputed star is the còtta còtt: beef tripe cut into pieces and slow-cooked with tomatoes, celery, carrots, veal and lamb bones, salt, and spices, following recipes passed down through generations. It is a humble, flavorful dish that tells the story of the rural history of this corner of the Monti Dauni. But as the festival's name suggests, there is «not only» tripe here. Those who don't fancy offal will still find a rich table, featuring troccoli pasta with tomato sauce and bread meatballs, sandwiches with local sausage, and, in some editions, cicatelli pasta with tomato and cacioricotta cheese, along with the inevitable fried pizzas.

Local wine: Nero di Troia

One cannot speak of Troia without mentioning the grape variety that bears its name: Nero di Troia, an indigenous grape that produces full-bodied, structured red wines, the cornerstone of winemaking in the province of Foggia and throughout Puglia. At the festival, it flows alongside draft beer, accompanying traditional dishes in a pairing that is itself part of the local narrative.

At the foot of the Cathedral

The setting is one of the most beautiful in the Capitanata region: the historic center of Troia, with its monumental Romanesque Cathedral and its spectacular eleven-spoke rose window, considered an absolute masterpiece of Apulian medieval art. Food stalls are spread across the town's squares — from the area of Piazza E. G. Cavalieri, next to the church of San Giovanni al Mercato, to the spaces near the Cathedral — turning summer evenings into a stroll through taste, history, and music.

Folk music and community

The festival is about more than just food: the evenings are accompanied by Apulian folk music, with folk groups performing pizzica, tarantella, and traditional sounds, often reinterpreted with a contemporary twist. It is an event deeply felt by the community, promoted by the Pro Loco of Troia with the patronage of the Municipality and the UNPLI network of the Monti Dauni, and included in the rich Troia Summer program alongside the Wheat Festival, the Wine Festival, and the Band Festival.

Why it's worth the trip

«Non solo Còtta Còtt» is the perfect festival for those who want to discover inland Puglia, the one in the Monti Dauni far from the sea and the beaten path: a town of art, a cuisine with character, and a living tradition that, every summer, returns to echo through the streets just as it did when Filomena and Marietta announced their tripe was ready.