Pizza has been romantically linked for about a century and a half to Queen Margherita, which in this regard has always kept what we would call a low profile, but perhaps we owe it the name of the tricolor pizza.
Many times we have heard the name of the Savoy queen combined with the invention of the "Pizza margherita", even if the pizza with mozzarella cheese and basil already existed; however the queen of the House of Savoy played a decisive role in this delicious delicacy.
Queen Margaret
The pizza, in the form of focaccia, has existed for millennia, but at some point in history, something changed forever. History, mixed with legend, tells that in 1889, the queen of Italy, during a trip to meet her kingdom; he found himself near the palace of Capodimonte.
Having heard of this famous "pizza" which was not yet widespread beyond the Neapolitan borders; both the queen and her ladies-in-waiting wished to taste it. Some were slightly embarrassed, as it was a street food, the modern "street food", relegated to the humblest social classes. At the time there was the custom of fried pizza and sold directly on street stalls and eaten on the spot, as a quick meal.
Many "marked" the purchase and then returned to pay at ease. Yet the queen and her entourage insisted on trying this famous "pizza".
Raffaele Esposito
For the occasion, the pizzaiolo Raffaele Esposito of the Brandi pizzeria, which we can define as the inventor of modern pizza, as it has come to us. Even today there is the famous Pizzeria Brandi, founded in 1780. At that time, with the term pizza, throughout Italy it was defined as a sort of sweet cake, and it still is.
While in Naples this term was defined as the dough with flour, water, salt and tomato that we know well. Well, Esposito, was summoned by the royal house to Capodimonte, where the king of Italy Umberto I and his wife Margherita were stayinganxious for the novelty. The pizza chef, I would say the best known in history, proposed three types of specialties to the kings of Italy. The queen, after tasting, expressed her preference for the "tricolor", that he showed up with mozzarella, basil and tomato, according to her the best! Perhaps the queen of Italy was struck by the colors of the Italian flag or by the mozzarella.
History of pizza
To pay homage to Queen Margherita of Savoy, Esposito decided to attribute his name to the pizza created for the occasion. It seems that the tasting had some success, between heavenly aromas and the steaming mozzarella, which at the time was not very well known in northern Italy. To confirm the appreciation of the novelty, there is a letter that followed that famous day.
We are talking about a letter from 1889 from Camillo Galli, head of table services at the royal house. In this letter, written to Raffaele Esposito, the queen was pleasantly struck by the pizza dedicated to her, with many words of complacency and appreciation. “I confirm that the three qualities of pizzas you made for Her Majesty the Queen were found to be very good". Since then, as a good entrepreneur, as well as an excellent pizza maker, Esposito continued to call the tricolor pizza "Margherita" in honor of the queen. A choice that turned out to be extraordinary, considering the worldwide success!
Photo source - Wikipedia
