Pizza Margherita Day Date in the current year: June 11, 2025

Pizza Margherita, also known as Margherita pizza, is a Neapolitan pizza topped with hand-crushed peeled tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, extra virgin olive oil, and fresh basil leaves. Along with pizza marinara, it exemplifies the essence of Neapolitan pizza with its simple yet high-quality ingredients and emphasis on flavor over complex toppings.

Tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil leaves were among the most common pizza toppings in Naples as early as the beginning of the 19th century. However, pizza wasn’t as ubiquitous or iconic at the time. It was considered a “poor people’s dish”, cooked to use up various leftovers.

According to legend, the pizza Margherita we know today was invented and popularized by the Italian chef Raffaele Esposito. The owner of a tavern in Naples, Esposito was considered the premier pizzaiolo in the city. In 1889, when King Umberto I and Queen Margherita visited Naples, Esposito was invited to the Royal Palace of Capodimonte to create a pizza in honor of the royal couple.

He and his wife prepared three different pizzas, one of which was topped with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil to represent the colors of the Italian tricolor. The queen liked that pizza the most and sent the chef a letter of commendation through her head of table services. The pizza was then named after the queen.

The veracity of this legend has been questioned for several reasons. First, as mentioned above, pizzas with these toppings existed in Naples long before Esposito's time. Second, there are no media reports of the supposed royal visit. Third, both the legend and the name “pizza Margherita” emerged in the early 20th century. Nevertheless, Esposito’s restaurant, now called Pizzeria Brandi, still exists. It calls itself “The Home of Pizza Margherita” and displays the royal letter of recognition allegedly sent to Esposito by Queen Margherita, as well as a commemorative plaque marking the 100th anniversary of the iconic Neapolitan pizza’s invention.

Regardless, there is no doubt that pizza Margherita is one of the most iconic dishes of Neapolitan and Italian cuisine. The dough is made by mixing water, finely ground wheat flour, yeast, and salt. It is stretched into a disc by hand, moving outward from the center. Then, the pizza is topped with tomatoes, mozzarella, olive oil, and basil and quickly baked in a wood-fired oven. A Margherita pizza should be soft, thin, tender, and fragrant with high edges. It is meant to be eaten fresh, right out of the oven.

The origins of Pizza Margherita Day are unclear, but it supposedly commemorates the day pizza Margherita was invented in 1889. Celebrate this amazing holiday by ordering a Margherita pizza, making one at home, or throwing a pizza party for friends and family. Don’t forget to post about the holiday on social media with the hashtag #PizzaMargheritaDay!