In this episode, I talk about the queen of Neapolitan cuisine, the pizza Margherita, now an iconic symbol of Italy, was born.
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Show notes
If you have any questions about this episode, please write them in the comments below and I will answer them as soon as possible. As always, if you enjoyed the episode, please share it with someone else you think might enjoy it. If you have a moment, please rate and/or write a review for this episode on iTunes. This will help other people to find and enjoy the podcast. Thank you so much for your continued support of Luca’s Italy and for all the wonderful feedback I’ve received so far. If you’d like to help me create and develop this podcast and receive exclusive bonus material and updates, please consider becoming a patron. Full details are on my Patreon site. Grazie mille!
The episode includes:
- My first experience of an authentic pizza napoletana.
- Antica Pizzeria da Michele, in Naples.
- A brief history of pizza in Naples.
- The legend of how the pizza Margherita got its name.
- An analysis of the legend in the context of Italian Unification and civil problems in 19th Century Naples
- Alternative theories about the origin of the pizza Margherita
- Alternative theories about how it got its name
- The pizza Margherita between 1889 and the 1970s
- The Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana and protection of the pizza Napoletana
- The pizza Margherita today
Resources
Antica Pizzeria Da Michele official website
Some photos and info about Antica Pizzeria Da Michele.
Pizzeria Brandi Facebook page.
Sophia Loren making pizzas in L’oro di Napoli (1954).
Angelo Forgione’s blog about alternative theories for the origin of the pizza Margherita (in Italian).
The Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana website (in English).
That’s not how I imagined your voice! 🙂
I’m a man of surprises 🙂
Hi Luca, a great way to start the week….sitting down and listening to a story about the origins and history of pizza!!! Informative as always and lots of interesting little nuggets of information…..your description of your original Neapolitan pizza was fabulous…I could almost taste it myself!!!!! Lucy x
Really glad you enjoyed it, Lucy. It was difficult to record as I kept getting hungry for pizza.
These get better and better, Luca. The blending of Italian history and culinary culture is really interesting and entertaining. You have a marvellous knowledge of all things Italian and it i# a pleasure to listen to you talk about things obviously so dear to your heart.. Thankyou!
I’ve really been working on perfecting my pizze recently, so this was super interesting, Luca! When I was in Naples in 2019, I was in the midst of a frenzy on Via Chiaia, and didn’t know what was happening at first. There was a man speaking, who I didn’t recognize, but everyone was gathering around him to hear him speak. An older gentleman was serenading the crowd with Neapolitan songs while playing the guitar. I asked someone what was happening and they explained that Pizzeria Brandi was giving away pizze for some occasion, and the man was the current manager. OMG, people were like piranha in a feeding frenzy! I absolutely love Naples and can’t wait to go back for the pizze and sweet treats! Thanks for the wonderful podcast!
That sounds like such a Naples moment! I’d really like to try one of yours as they look fabulous.