Strascinando

Strascinando: celebrating toasted wheat in Canosa di Puglia

Strascinando is the festival that every summer brings one of the most authentic symbols of Canosa di Puglia's gastronomic culture back to the center of city life: strascinati di grano arso (toasted wheat pasta). Organized by the Pro Loco Canosa in collaboration with the Municipal Administration and the Accademia del Grano Arso, the event enlivens the historic center between Piazza Vittorio Veneto, Corso San Sabino, and Piazza della Repubblica, transforming the town's streets into a journey of taste, tradition, and memory.

Toasted wheat: from peasant poverty to an identity-defining dish

Toasted wheat was born from a history of hardship and ingenuity. In the 18th century, farmers in Canosa would burn the stubble in the fields, partly as a protest against feudal impositions: women would then gather the charred ears of wheat, crush them, and obtain a dark flour with an intense, toasted aroma. From that humble flour, the strascinato was born—a pasta shape created by dragging small pieces of dough across a work surface with the fingers, creating a rough side perfect for holding sauce. Once a food of necessity, it is now a delicacy recognized as a Traditional Agri-food Product (PAT) of Apulia and a point of pride for Canosa, the "City of Toasted Wheat".

Tastings and pasta-makers at work

The heart of Strascinando is the tasting: in the town squares, local pasta-makers prepare the toasted wheat strascinati live, showcasing the ancient techniques of handmade pasta. The public can watch the demonstrations and savor the dish prepared according to tradition, from simple tomato sauce to recipes more closely tied to the local peasant cuisine.

Culture, conferences, and music

The festival is about more than just food. The program dedicates ample space to cultural meetings on toasted wheat, with conferences bringing together scholars, professors, chefs, and representatives of the Accademia del Grano Arso to discuss the historical and scientific value of this product. In the evening, the historic center lights up with live music: the town band and local artists accompany the festivities late into the night, in the convivial atmosphere typical of an Apulian summer.

In the heart of the Canosa Summer

Strascinando is one of the flagship events of the Estate Canosina, the summer calendar of events in the Municipality of Canosa di Puglia, in the province of Barletta-Andria-Trani. For those visiting inland Apulia, amidst archaeological treasures and the hills of the Ofanto valley, it is the ideal opportunity to discover a unique flavor and a story that speaks of community, memory, and peasant resilience.