The
Pizza began simply as a garnished flat bread sold by roaming vendors
to the poor in the streets of 18th
century Naples. Probably the biggest step wards its present-day
persona was the acceptance of the tomato by the Neapolitans, and
the subsequent use of its flesh as pizza topping.
This
happy culinary partnership was endorsed, so the story goes, in
1889 when queen Margherita was
accompanying her Husband, Umberto I of Savoia on an inspection
of his Italian Kingdom. During her trips around the kingdom she
saw many peasants and poor people eating a flat bread which they
called "Pizza".The curious queen summoned her guards
and asked them to bring her a piece of this flat bread. The queen
liked what she ate and would eat this flat bread every time she
went out of her palace.
The
queen was extremely popular with the masses and had developed
a great liking for their Pizza. This taste was considered somewhat
undesirable in court circles. One day in June, on the queens insistence
Raffaele Esposito was summoned from his pizzeria to the palace
to bake a selection of Pizzas for the queen.
Raffaele
in order to honour the queens desire for his
pizzas baked a special pizza with tomato, Mozzarella, cheese and
basil (the colours of the Italian flag - red/white/green). The pizza
was a great hit with the queen and Esposito was summoned often to
bake this pizza. When the news got out that the queens favourite
was topped with tomato, mozzarella & basil, she not only became
an even greater hit with the public, but also started a trend for
the Pizza Margherita that has lasted in Naples and around the world
to this day.
