Naples, Campania. Created in 1889 by pizzaiolo Raffaele Esposito for Queen Margherita of Savoy, representing the Italian tricolour: red (tomato), white (mozzarella), green (basil). Neapolitan pizza is protected by UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status and the AVPN.
The Margherita is not a plain pizza. It is the benchmark by which all pizza is judged — the dish that reveals whether a baker understands fermentation, heat, and restraint. Tipo 00 flour, 48-hour cold-fermented dough, San Marzano DOP tomato, fior di latte mozzarella, fresh basil added after the oven. Nothing else. The cornicione should be charred, blistered, and hollow — not doughy, not cracker-crisp.
Falanghina from Campania — the grape of Naples, dry and mineral with slight volcanic character from Vesuvian soils. Or Peroni Nastro Azzurro lager, where carbonation cleanses between bites. For red: a light Aglianico from Campania, served cool.
{"Flour: Caputo Pizzeria 00 or equivalent — protein level 11-12.5% and fine milling produce an extensible dough that blisters correctly at high heat","Fermentation: 48 to 72 hours cold fermentation in the refrigerator develops flavour compounds (acetic and lactic acids) that a 2-hour same-day dough cannot produce","Hydration: 65% for home oven, 62% for wood-fired — higher hydration creates more open crumb and pronounced blistering","The sauce is uncooked: crushed San Marzano DOP, salt, and a thread of extra virgin olive oil only — the oven cooks the sauce on the pizza","Mozzarella moisture: tear fior di latte by hand and allow to drain on a cloth for 30 minutes before use — excess moisture steams rather than melts, producing a wet pizza","Temperature: domestic oven at 280C maximum with a preheated pizza steel. Bake 6-8 minutes; finish 30 seconds under the grill for the top"}
The moment where Margherita lives or dies is the hand-stretch. The dough ball (280g for a 30cm pizza) must be at room temperature for 1 hour before shaping. Press from the centre outward with flat fingers, leaving a 2cm border untouched — this becomes the cornicione. Lift the disc over your knuckles and let gravity stretch it as you rotate. It should reach 30-32cm without tearing. If it tears, the gluten is too tight — rest 10 minutes and try again. Sauce, then mozzarella, then into the hottest oven you have. Basil goes on immediately after the pizza exits the oven, never before — heat blackens and bitters basil.
{"Using buffalo mozzarella (mozzarella di bufala) on a baked pizza: the higher moisture content makes the pizza wet — buffalo mozzarella is for cold applications","Rolling the dough with a pin: this degasses the fermented dough, destroying the bubble structure that creates an open, blistered cornicione. Stretch by hand only","Overloading toppings: a Margherita has three toppings — sauce, mozzarella, basil. The base should be visible between the mozzarella","Pre-baking the base before adding toppings: this produces a cracker-style base with no blistering"}