Both young and old people all over the world enjoy pizza. So much that it received the UNESCO World Heritage Status.
But did you know that pizza actually has ancient origins? Well… not exactly pizza, let’s say an ancestor of it.
Just think that prehistoric peoples prepared a simpler, more rudimentary version of this dish. Grain crops turned into flour were the first steps for creating a dough without any leavening, which ancient people baked on burning stones.
The story of Pizza Margherita
Speaking of pizza as we all know it, here is the story of the classic and beloved Pizza Margherita.
It was May 21st, 1889, when King Umberto I of Savoy and Queen Margherita paid an official visit to Naples.
Even at that time, rumors were already circulating in the upper nobility about a dish that was much appreciated by the lower class of the population and known only in Naples: a mysterious and unknown dish called “Pizza”.
Once in the city, the Royals decided to summon to court one of the best-known cooks at the time, a certain Raffaele Esposito, with a specific task: to let the curious Queen taste the much-talked-about pizza.
The cook soon prepared three pizzas that were already very popular in the Parthenopean City:
- a Marinara (with tomato, garlic, oregano, and oil)
- a Mastunicola (with oil, cheese, and basil)
- and one with tomato and mozzarella.
In a flash of genius, Esposito’s wife, just before her husband served it to the sovereign, placed a basil leaf on top of the dish.
The Queen, after trying the first two pizzas, was not very enthusiastic…yes, the flavor was good, but it was nothing exceptional…
When the sovereign saw the third one, she was immediately enthusiastic: the colors were those of the Italian flag! Once she tasted it, she asked Esposito for the name, and he simply answered: “Margherita!”
As compelling as this myth is, there is no certainty that this is the true story of the Pizza Margherita. It is certain, however, that Raffaele Esposito prepared and named this pizza in honor of Queen Margherita.