Margherita of Savoy-Genoa, Queen Consort of Italy
Margherita Teresa Giovanna, Princess of Savoy, was born in Turin, on November 20, 1851. On April 21, 1868, when just sixteen years old, she married her first cousin, Umberto, Crown Prince of Italy.
Pizza Margherita was named after her. This is how it happened…
In June 1898, Margherita accompanied her husband, now Umberto I, King of Italy, on a visit to Naples. While there, Raffaele Esposito and Maria Giovanni Brandi, owners of Pizzeria Brandi, a very old pizzeria close to the Royal Palace, were officially invited to come to Court.
One of the rooms inside the Royal Palace. Naples, Italy. Photo by Armando Mancini
Raffaele prepared three pizzas for this unforgettable moment in their family history. The first was a white pizza, with olive oil, cheese and basil and no tomato sauce. The second was topped with cecenielle (a small fish).
It was the third one however, that caught the Queen’s eye, with its blending of red, white, and green, using tomato slices, mozzarella, and basil. Queen Margherita enjoyed it immensely and Raffaele immediately named it Pizza Margherita in her honor.
The next day, the Queen had one of her officials send a thank you note to express her appreciation.
This note, dated June 11, 1898, is carefully preserved at Pizzeria Brandi, where it can still be seen today, graciously attesting to the Queen’s kindness. And while the Pizzeria itself is no longer owned by descendants of Raffaele and Maria Giovanna, their famous creation, Pizza Margherita, is the delight of millions around the world.
