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Italian · Naples

Pizza Margherita

Pizza Margherita is the most famous pizza in the world and the definitive expression of pizza napoletana — tomato, mozzarella, basil, and olive oil on a hand-stretched Neapolitan dough base. The legend attributes its creation to Raffaele Esposito of Pizzeria Brandi in June 1889, who made three pizzas for Queen Margherita of Savoy during a royal visit to Naples: the pizza with tomato, mozzarella, and basil — representing the Italian flag's red, white, and green — was the queen's favourite, and Esposito named it in her honour. Whether the story is precisely true (pizzas with these ingredients existed before 1889), the name and the canonical combination have been inseparable ever since. The technique is the pizza napoletana technique in its purest form: the stretched dough is topped with hand-crushed San Marzano tomatoes (DOP, or similar quality pomodorini), sliced or torn fior di latte mozzarella (or, for the Margherita Extra, mozzarella di bufala campana DOP), a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and 4-5 fresh basil leaves placed on top after baking (or, in some traditions, before baking, where they char slightly and perfume the pizza). The pizza bakes for 60-90 seconds in the 485°C oven. The Margherita is the test of a pizzaiolo's skill: with only four toppings plus dough, there is nowhere to hide. The dough must be perfectly fermented, the stretching must be precise, the topping must be balanced (not too much tomato, not too much cheese), and the baking must be exact. A perfect Margherita is one of the great simple compositions in food: the sweetness of San Marzano tomato, the milky richness of mozzarella, the perfume of basil, the fruitiness of olive oil, and the slightly charred, smoky, bread-like base.

ServesFour portions (one pizza per person, 30–35 cm each)
Sourced1of 5 in BC
Cook
I

The Market List

The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.

For the dough (per pizza napoletana technique)
250 g
Neapolitan pizza dough ball
long-fermented, prepared in advance per pizza napoletana technique
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the topping
80 g
San Marzano tomatoes DOP
hand-crushed, not blended — visible pieces retained
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
80 g
fior di latte mozzarella
sliced or torn; or mozzarella di bufala campana DOP for Margherita Extra, torn small and drained
Your own market
4–5 leaves
fresh basil
small-leaved Genovese basil; added after baking, or before for slight char
Origin · New ZealandPurely Artisan Foods · San Diego →
15 ml
extra virgin olive oil
fruity and peppery finishing oil; applied in a spiral drizzle
Your own market

Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.

II

The Method

1
Crush the San Marzano tomatoes by hand in a bowl, retaining visible pieces and natural juice. The sauce should be loose and uneven — not a smooth paste. Season lightly if required. The texture is correct when pieces of flesh remain clearly distinct in the liquid.
2
On a lightly floured surface, stretch one dough ball by hand using the pizza napoletana technique: press outward from the centre with the fingers, then work the disc over the knuckles, rotating continuously. The final disc should measure 30–35 cm in diameter with a raised cornicione border and a uniformly thin centre. Do not use a rolling pin. The disc is ready when it holds its shape without tearing and light passes evenly through the centre.
From the canon — Pizza napoletana is the original pizza — and the technique that defines it is among the most precisely codified in all of Italian food. Pizza Napoletana — The Art of the Pizzaiolo →
3
Lay the stretched disc on the peel. Spoon the hand-crushed tomato onto the centre and spread in a thin, even spiral, leaving the cornicione clear. The tomato must not pool at the centre — coverage should be even, and dough must remain visible between the tomato. Distribute the sliced or torn fior di latte evenly; do not tile the cheese wall to wall. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil in a thin spiral over the entire surface. This is where the dish lives or dies: the balance of tomato, cheese, and exposed dough decides the final character of the pizza — excess of any element cannot be corrected in the oven.
4
Slide the pizza into a 485 °C wood-fired oven. Bake for 60–90 seconds, rotating once with the peel for even cooking. The crust is done when the cornicione is risen and shows irregular dark spots (leopard charring), the underside is set and firm to the peel, and the mozzarella has melted and begun to blister.
5
Remove the pizza from the oven onto the plate. Immediately lay 4–5 fresh basil leaves on the surface. Serve at once — covering or boxing the pizza will steam the crust. The pizza is ready to eat when the basil has wilted slightly from the residual heat and the cheese is still visibly molten.
III

Quality Hierarchy

01
Reserve — San Marzano tomatoes DOP grown in the Agro Sarnese-Nocerino at the foot of Vesuvius; mozzarella di bufala campana DOP, torn small and fully drained (Margherita Extra, per AVPN designation); small-leaved Genovese basil; a peppery, single-estate finishing oil; dough fermented at least 24 hours.
02
Estate — San Marzano DOP tomatoes; high-quality fior di latte sourced from a named Campanian producer; hand-stretched dough with 18–24-hour cold fermentation; extra virgin olive oil of declared provenance.
03
Market — Good-quality canned pomodorini of comparable sweetness and low acidity; fresh fior di latte from a specialist cheesemonger; extra virgin olive oil from a trusted Italian producer. Dough fermented minimum 8 hours.
04
House — Any whole peeled Italian-style tomato, hand-crushed; fresh mozzarella available locally (not pre-shredded); a sound extra virgin olive oil. Dough prepared same day. The standard AVPN toppings still apply — the technique does not change.
IV

Sensory Tests

◇Sight. The stretched disc measures 30–35 cm, holds its shape without retracting, and shows even thinness at the centre with a defined raised border.
◇Sight. Tomato is spread in an even layer; dough remains clearly visible between the cheese and sauce — neither ingredient blankets the surface.
◇Sight. The cornicione in the oven shows irregular dark charred spots (leoparding) and has risen; the mozzarella is fully melted and beginning to blister.
◇Touch. The underside of the finished pizza is firm and dry against the peel — not soft, doughy, or wet.
◇Smell. On leaving the oven, the pizza gives off a combined scent of charred bread, caramelised tomato, and warm milk — the basil perfume rises within seconds of being placed on the hot surface.
◇Where it lives or dies. The topping stage decides the pizza: too much tomato, too much cheese, or too little exposed dough cannot be corrected in the oven, and the balance of three elements — tomato, mozzarella, and bare dough — is the entirety of the composition.
Pillar V
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The dishes this one teaches you, across the cuisines — on every recipe.
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VI

What to Pour

The pairing
El Silencio Espadin Mezcal
El Silencio Mezcal · Oaxaca — Mezcal
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Agave spirit
From British Columbia
Fort Berens Riesling
Fort Berens Estate Winery · Lillooet
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Wine
Without alcohol
GT's Synergy Organic Kombucha — Gingerade
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Non-alcoholic

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The whole pairing
Pillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
Enter · from $49 a year
Sourced through Provenance

The hands behind the plate.

Purely Artisan Foods
San Diego · fresh basil
→