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How did pizza Margherita become associated with Queen Margherita?

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View of Naples, Italy, showing colorful buildings on hillsides along the coastline with a curved harbor and calm blue water. — Naples Naples, Italy.

Popular legend claims that pizza Margherita was named after Queen Margherita of Savoy, wife of King Umberto I, during her 1889 visit to Naples. According to this story, the pizzaiolo Raffaele Esposito presented the Queen with three pizzas, one of which featured tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil—ingredients representing the red, white, and green of the Italian flag.123

However, historical evidence suggests this narrative is likely a myth or "fakelore". Research indicates that the supporting documentation, specifically a letter from the royal chamberlain, is almost certainly a forgery created in the 1930s based on family legend. While the association remains a widely repeated cultural anecdote, it is not considered a factual historical origin for the name of the Margherita pizza.1