Margherita pizza is a Neapolitan pizza topped simply with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and basil leaves, designed to let a few high-quality ingredients speak for themselves. By popular legend, it was created in Naples in 1889 and named for Queen Margherita of Savoy, with its red, white, and green toppings evoking the colors of the Italian flag - though the story's historical accuracy is debated. Traditional versions use San Marzano tomatoes for their sweetness and low acidity and a fresh mozzarella such as fior di latte or buffalo mozzarella. It's the benchmark against which other Neapolitan pizzas are often measured; variations add ingredients like anchovies, olives, or prosciutto, or swap in burrata or stracciatella for the mozzarella.