Why a pizza got named after Queen Margherita

If there is one dish that we can never get bored of, it’s Pizza. There are so many different variations of this dish, but there is nothing better than the slice of a fresh Margherita Pizza. It’s a classic Italian pizza made with simple and fresh ingredients like tomatoes, fresh basil leaves and mozzarella cheese. Today, we will tell you the story of Margherita Pizza and why it is called so. Read more to find out about it. (Images courtesy: iStock)

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As simple and commonplace as the pizza might seem, you will be surprised to know that Margherita pizza has royal connections. The pizza is named after Queen Margherita of Savoy, who is said to have been presented with a pizza resembling the colours of the Italian flag. The story goes that in 1889, in the honour of the Queen's visit to Naples with her husband King Umberto I, a local pizzamaker named Raffaele Esposito of Pizzeria Brandi created a pizza with the colours of the Italian flag: tomato (red), mozzarella (white), and basil (green). The Queen was so delighted with the pizza that it was named after her. Since then, the Margherita pizza has become one of the most popular pizzas in the world.

Some food critics argue that a kind of pizza similar to this was made between 1976 and 1810 in Naples, however, it was not called ‘Margherita’ at that time. There's another theory behind the nomenclature, which suggests that the word ‘Margherita’ translates to ‘daisy’ in Italian, and the pizza was named so because of the daisy-shaped arrangement of the toppings.

This is the ultimate pizza that has fresh tomato sauce spread over a thick dough and is loaded with mozzarella cheese with fresh basil leaves, tomato slices and extra virgin olive oil. It’s a simple pizza with unique flavours that will always surprise you. One can call it a simple cheese pizza with tomato & basil toppings over it. This pizza is baked in an oven until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbly.

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