Pizza Margherita Napoletana
Photo: bryan... from Taipei, Taiwan · CC BY-SA 2.0

History

Pizza margherita was formalised in Naples in 1889 when pizzaiolo Raffaele Esposito of Pizzeria Brandi served Queen Margherita of Savoy a pizza in the colours of the Italian flag. The Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN) codified its production rules in 1984 and the craft was inscribed on the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list in 2017.

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Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 30 minTotal 26 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 500g tipo 00 flour (or 50/50 tipo 00 and strong bread flour)
  • 325ml cold water
  • 3g fresh yeast or 1g instant dried yeast
  • 10g fine sea salt
  • 1 x 400g tin San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand
  • 250g fior di latte mozzarella, torn and patted dry
  • Fresh basil leaves
  • Extra-virgin olive oil

Method

  1. Dissolve the yeast in 300ml of the water. Add flour and mix roughly, then add salt dissolved in the remaining 25ml water. Knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
  2. Cover the dough and bulk-ferment at room temperature for 2 hours, then divide into 4 balls of about 200g each.
  3. Place the dough balls in a floured container, cover tightly and cold-ferment in the fridge for 20 to 24 hours.
  4. Remove dough from the fridge 2 hours before baking. Heat your oven as high as it will go (ideally 250 to 300 degrees Celsius) with a pizza stone or heavy baking tray inside for at least 45 minutes.
  5. Stretch each dough ball by hand on a floured surface into a 28 to 30cm disc, leaving a thicker edge. Do not use a rolling pin.
  6. Spread 3 tablespoons of crushed tomato to within 1cm of the edge. Add torn mozzarella, a drizzle of olive oil and bake on the hot stone for 6 to 8 minutes until the crust is charred in spots.
  7. Top with fresh basil immediately after baking.

Tip from the editors. The cold ferment develops flavour and makes the dough extensible; skipping it and baking same-day produces a springy but less complex result.

Where to eat pizza margherita napoletana

Pizza Margherita Napoletana in Naples

L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele ★ 4.7

€ PizzeriaForcella

Da Michele in Naples' Forcella has baked margherita and marinara since 1870 at under 6 euros. At Via Cesare Sersale 1. Reservations advised.

TryPizza margherita

TipTake a numbered ticket at the door. Cash only at the counter; the margherita is 5 euros 50.

Directions

Gino e Toto Sorbillo ★ 4.6

€€ Neapolitan PizzaCentro Storico

Gino Sorbillo's headquarters on Via dei Tribunali in Naples is the third-generation family pizzeria, with 21 siblings carrying the dough across four city.

OrderMargherita with San Marzano DOP and the seasonal special with friarielli.

TipNo bookings; arrive 12:30 or 19:00 for the shortest queue. Lievito Madre two doors down handles overflow.

Directions Book

50 Kalo di Ciro Salvo ★ 4.6

€€€€ Tasting €35PizzeriaChiaiaChef Ciro Salvo

Ciro Salvo's 50 Kalo in Naples ranks among the world's top three pizzerias on the 50 Top Pizza list, with a 72-hour fermentation dough and a fine-pizza.

Book2 weeks ahead

TipBook on the website a fortnight ahead for dinner. Lunch is the calmer service; the dough proof is the kitchen's signature.

Directions Book a table

Pizzeria Brandi ★ 4.3

€€ Neapolitan PizzaToledo

Brandi off Via Toledo in Naples claims the 1889 invention of the pizza margherita by Raffaele Esposito for Queen Margherita of Savoy. Priced at €€.

OrderPizza margherita, the canonical version named for the queen in 1889.

TipOpen daily 12:00-15:30 and 19:00-24:00. Book ahead for groups; the original Esposito plaque sits at the entrance.

Directions Book

Concettina ai Tre Santi ★ 4.8

€€ PizzeriaSanita

Ciro Oliva's Concettina ai Tre Santi in Naples' Sanita is the modern pizza fine-dining room that most tourists never reach, with tasting menus of six small.

OrderThe five-pizza tasting menu, especially the modern margherita with three tomato cuts.

Why locals goDeep in the Rione Sanita, a neighbourhood most visitors skip, Ciro Oliva's pizzeria sits beside a street shrine on a cobbled backstreet.

TipBook three weeks ahead; the tasting menu at 45 euros is the entry point. Walking into the Sanita is the reward in itself.

Directions Book a table

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