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How the Pizza Margherita Got Its Name

Easy to Read


A pizza Margherita


The pizza Margherita is a type of pizza.

 

The Pizza Margherita was first made in Naples in Italy.


How did this pizza get its name?

This is one story:

There was an Italian queen called Margherita.

 
Sepia colored photo of Queen Margherita of Savoy


Queen Margherita of Savoy

 

Queen Margherita visited Naples with her husband in 1889.

Usually French food was served to kings and queens.

But Queen Margherita grew tired of it.

 

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Then Queen Margherita saw the local people eating a large flatbread.

She wanted to eat it, too.


A flatbread is like a pizza without toppings.


A flatbread on top of a wooden serving board
 

Raffaele Esposito was a famous pizza maker in Naples.

They asked him to make a pizza for the queen.

He invented a pizza with basil, mozzarella cheese and tomatoes.

 

Pizza with basil leaves, mozarella cheese, and tomatoes.

 

The 3 ingredients showed the colors of the Italian flag:

  • Green basil leaves.

  • White mozzarella cheese.

  • Red tomatoes.

 
Flag of Italy

The flag of Italy

 


The 3 pizza toppings in the colors of the Italian Flag:


A bowl filled with fresh basil leaves


Green basil

 
A piece of mozzarella cheese with a slice cut off.


White mozzarella cheese

 
A bunch of tomatoes.


Red tomatoes

 

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But we don’t know if this story is really true.

It seems a pizza with these 3 toppings was already being made in Naples.


So there is another story about the pizza’s name.


Margherita is the Italian word for “daisy”.

The pizza looks like a daisy because of its toppings.

So maybe that is why the pizza is called Margherita?

 

*Quotes are edited to Easy Read*


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