The story
Flatbreads with toppings were street food in Naples by the 1700s, and pizzas with tomato, mozzarella and basil were probably already on sale there before 1889. The famous story says that in June of that year the pizzaiolo Raffaele Esposito baked three pizzas for Queen Margherita of Savoy during a royal visit, and she liked best the one in red, white and green, which he named after her. Historians have since questioned the royal thank-you letter displayed at Pizzeria Brandi, but the name stuck, and in 2017 UNESCO listed the art of the Neapolitan pizzaiuolo as intangible heritage.
Rival claims
No other city claims it; the dispute is about the story, not the place. Historians doubt the 1889 royal visit and the thank-you letter displayed at Pizzeria Brandi, and tomato, mozzarella and basil pizzas were probably sold in Naples before 1889.
Also known as Margherita pizza, Neapolitan pizza, pizza napoletana.
On the Meridish menu
Pizza Margherita was the main course on menu No. 6 on October 6, 2026. Its clue in the game, which hints at the place without naming it:
Tomato, mozzarella and basil, the colors of the flag, reportedly made for a visiting queen in 1889.
In Meridish, every dish is pinned to the town or city most widely credited with creating it. A guess within 25 km scores all 100 points. How scoring works.
Sources
- nationalgeographic.com/history/history-magazine/article/pizza-margherita-may-be-fit-for-a-queen-but-was-it-named-after-one
- scottspizzatours.com/blog/the-real-story-of-pizza-margherita
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pizza_Margherita
Food history is often disputed. Think we've pinned it in the wrong place? Tell us at hello@meridish.com, ideally with a source.
