A popular contemporary legend holds that the
pizza Margherita, was invented in 1889, when the
Royal Palace of Capodimonte commissioned the Neapolitan pizzaiolo
(pizza maker) Raffaele Esposito to create a pizza in honor of the
visiting Queen Margherita. Of the three different pizzas he created,
the Queen strongly preferred a pizza swathed in the colors of the
Italian flag —
red (tomato), green (basil), and white
(mozzarella).
Supposedly, this kind of pizza was then named after the
Queen, although later research cast doubt on this legend. An
official letter of recognition from the Queen's "head of service"
remains on display in Esposito's shop, now called the Pizzeria
Brandi.