What is a Margherita?

The first and most famous of all pizzas is the regal Margherita! A popular Italian legend tells that when Margherita of Savoy, queen consort of the Kingdom of Italy, was visiting Naples in 1889, local pizzaiuolo Raffaele Esposito devised a pizza especially for her, using the colours of the Italian flag in her honour – green (basil), white (mozzarella), and red (tomatoes).

Since the Queen particularly enjoyed the pizza, it was named after her. Interestingly, the historic Neapolitan pizzeria owned by Esposito, Antica Pizzeria Brandi, is still in operation. In recent years, however, this delightful myth has been debunked; research shows that pizza with TOMATOES, MOZZARELLA, AND BASIL was already popular in Naples long before the Queen was even born.