The Margherita Pizza

The 9th day of June, 1889, Umberto I and his consort, Queen Margherita summoned Don Raffaele Esposito and his wife Rosa Brandi to the Palace of Capodimonte. Raffaele and Rosa owned the famous pizzeria Pietro il Pizzaiolo (Peter the Pizza Maker) situated on the slopes of the Sant’Anna di Palazzo, in the heart of Chiaia di Napoli. The royal couple had heard many stories of the legendary skill of the man and woman reputed to be the finest pizza chefs of their times.

Accordingly, to honor the majesty of the sovereigns, Raffaele and Rosa carefully prepared a pizza using ingredients to match the three colors of the Italian national flag, green, white and red. They topped the pizza with basil, mozzarella and tomato, thoughtfully christening it Pizza Margherita in honor of the Queen.

The result was an entirely new and formidable pizza, which became hugely popular around the world.

The credit for the enormous success of pizza belongs undeniably to the people of Naples, who are immensely proud of their unique methods and skills in preparing the basic dough base, the starting point of all successful pizza recipes opening the door to infinite varieties of flavors according to fashion, taste and personal diets.