One of the world’s most universally loved foods is pizza. And while debates over acceptable pizza toppings will never be settled (with pineapple and anchovies holding questionable spots), a simple cheese pizza is always a crowd-pleaser.
But there’s an elevated version of a cheese pizza that really takes the pie: a Margherita pizza. Topped with crushed peeled tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, and a drizzle of olive oil, it’s a seemingly perfect flavor combination.
And Margherita pizza has royal roots. It is linked to Queen Margherita, Italy’s first queen.
“The legend goes that the Margherita pizza is named in her honor,” historian Dr. Amy Boyington explained in an Instagram video.
Who was Queen Margherita?
Queen Margherita of Savoy was born in November 1851 and lived until January 1926. In her New York Times obituary, she was praised for her kindness:
“Italy today is full of anecdotes which bring out the courage, charity and queenliness which endeared the dead Queen to her subjects during the 58 years of her public life. It is recalled how, despite her age. she turned her home into a hospital during the World War and herself nursed the wounded.”
Although she was admired by her subjects, her marriage was a different story.
“In 1868, when Margherita was still a teenager, she was married to her cousin, Umberto, the future king of Italy,” Boyington explained.
In a letter written after a visit with Margherita and Umberto, Queen Sophie of the Netherlands described Margherita as a “lovely child, white, small, delicate, graceful – he is a brute and it is impossible not to feel pity for that young and naive creature. Just now her dresses, her jewels, the release from governess and schoolroom make her happy. Lovely as she is, he seems to have no admiration for her…”
However, the couple had one child together, a son named Vittorio. Two years into the marriage, the royal couple ended their “marital relations,” which Boyington attributed to the king’s “rampant infidelity.” But they never separated and remained colleagues as king and queen after they took the throne in 1878.
The creation of Margherita pizza
In 1889, legend has it that a pizza was made in her honor. “It was supposedly created by a chef called Raffaele Esposito,” Boyington explained. “The pizza was allegedly created in honor of Italy’s unification, with the three toppings of basil, mozzarella, and tomato respectively representing the green, white, and red of the Italian flag.”
However, the story may not be 100% accurate, as Boyington notes that the components of the Margherita pizza had long existed. Food historian Max Miller agrees and adds that the famed Pizzeria Brandi in Naples dispels the story.
“It’s still a good story, and at least explains how the Margherita pizza got its name,” Miller added.
