Let’s Talk About This Pizza Classic: The Margherita

Margherita pizza is an Italian specialty that originated in Naples. This pizza is protected in Italy, meaning it must be prepared in a specific way to bear the “pizza Margherita” label, and the Italian government certifies bakeries that make it. This pizza is extremely simple, focusing on fresh, wholesome ingredients and high-quality bread dough. It is also the foundation for many pizzas served around the world; most people can get a local pizza place, and cooks can make it at home.

Garlic is frequently used in Margherita pizza. Traditional Neapolitan pizza is made with a dough made of flour, salt, and yeast. The dough is mixed, kneaded, and formed into rounds before being covered in toppings of the cook’s choice and baked in a high-temperature oven. The high temperature causes the dough to become very crispy; some Italians prefer theirs almost burnt, and it sears the toppings. The pizza is ready for slicing, serving, and eating after only a few minutes.

Margherita Pizza Ingredients

Pizza Margherita is entirely made with mozzarella cheese, which should be as fresh as possible. They use mozzarella di bufala, an Italian type of mozzarella. You can then top it with some fresh tomatoes from Italy. If you can’t find San Marzano canned tomatoes, you’ll have to make do with regular canned tomatoes.

Margherita pizza is a traditional Italian dish. This Margherita pizza, adapted from Roberta’s restaurant in Brooklyn, is low on cheese (less than 3 ounces of fresh mozzarella) and high on the sauce. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil, and a few freshly torn basil leaves on top of the sauce.

It tastes like fresh mozzarella. The sauce tastes sweet and tangy, similar to marinara or pasta sauce. The crust is delicious, with charred bubbles reminiscent of Neapolitan pizza. It’s difficult, but it’s doable.

Why is it Called a Margherita Pizza?

The Italian Queen Margherita of Savoy, who reigned from 1878 to 1900, decided to pay a state visit to Naples with her husband, King Umberto I, in 1889. According to legend, the queen became tired of the gourmet French cuisine served on the trip and asked Raffaele Esposito of Pizzeria Brandi, Naples’ most famous pizzamaker, to make her pizza.

According to legend, the pizza she preferred was made with mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil, which also happened to be the three colors of the Italian flag. Isn’t it convenient? The dish was named after Queen Margherita by Esposito, and the rest is disputed history.

Another story theorizes that the word Margherita translates to “daisy” in Italian, so the pizza got its name from the daisy-shaped arrangement of mozzarella and basil on top of the pizza.

What is the difference between a margarita pizza and a regular pizza?

The main distinction is that Margherita pizza is made with fresh mozzarella, which contains more liquid than regular mozzarella. The mozzarella on an American cheese pizza is drier than on a specialty pizza. Margherita’s recipe calls for fresh tomatoes and basil every time. These ingredients can be found in American pies as well. 

A Margherita pizza is technically a cheese pizza, but a regular cheese pizza’ is a simpler dish with tomato sauce and cheese on top. While mozzarella is the most common cheese used on a cheese pizza, other cheeses such as parmesan may be used in the toppings to create a unique flavor profile.

Made in New York Pizza is a Manhattan pizzeria that serves the best pizza in town. Our pizza chefs prepare authentic New York-style pizza with the freshest ingredients for those who live in the city or are visiting for the first time and have always wanted to try a slice from a real New York pizzeria.

Our goal is to become the epitome of what people think of when they think of New York-style pizza. It doesn’t matter if it’s a square or a triangle, as long as the flavors satisfy our customers’ tastes. Made in New York, Pizza, endorsed by culinary and celebrity luminaries, is becoming a community staple. We already have multiple locations, including our original Upper West Side shop and a new West Village location that features NFTs in our artwork.

Every time they order from our menu, kids and adults alike will appreciate the flavors of our various types of pizza. Since our inception, we have expanded our reach to multiple Manhattan neighborhoods, allowing more people to easily obtain the pizza they crave.