Pizza Margherita: A spotlight on a classic

What would you say is the most influential food ever created? Is it the hamburger, invented by the Germans in the 18th century?

Hamburgers are pretty much omnipresent; however, they’re generally consigned to fast food drive thrus or over-priced sit down restaurants. Plus, we think German sausage is more the national dish, so burgers are out!

How about chilli con carne?

Perhaps not…

Well maybe it’s the British classic fish & chips which was first introduced in London by Jewish immigrants in the 1860s and at one time was available on every street corner in the UK.

Fish and chips is certainly a strong candidate but is it a truly global phenomenon? It’s still popular in the UK despite suffering with the emergence of other cuisines, and fish and chips has carved a following in the USA. But other than that, this dish is pretty rare around the rest of the world.

At Papa John’s, we are convinced the margherita pizza is the most influential, important food invention of all time. Here’s why:

Who invented margherita pizza?

Legend tells us about Queen Margherita of Italy’s visit to Naples in 1889. Fed up with the intricate French cuisine she was being served every day, Queen Margherita requested Raffaele Esposito, the head chef of a local restaurant, to make her a delicious lunch. Of the three dishes she was served, the queen declared the “pizza alla mozzarella” her favorite, and that it would henceforth be known and pizza margherita!

This single event is believed to have had a huge influence on European cuisine that’s felt to this day. Just think of all the different variations of pizza available now that were spawned by Queen Margherita on that day. Papa John’s alone has more than 20 varieties available including vegan and vegetarian options, and with our custom pizza option, the possibilities are almost literally infinite!

How many pizzas do we eat in a year?

According to a recent study, the average Brit eats 731 pizzas in his/her lifetime! That’s approximately nine pizzas a year!

And in the USA, approximately 3 billion (yes, billion) pizzas are sold every year. They eat 12 million during the Super Bowl alone!

To think without Queen Margherita and her love of cheese pizza, this wouldn’t be possible! The margherita pizza surely has to go down as the most influential food in history.

Get involved in the discussion and let us know if you think the original margherita pizza is still the best or if one of its modern cousins takes the prize here:

You may be hungry after reading this, so take a look at our selection of perfect pizzas, succulent sides, delicious desserts and drinks and place your order today.