Elvis Presley was a man of many appetites–especially food. And one dish he is infamous for loving is the peanut butter and banana sandwich. In an unearthed BBC Four interview from 1995, Presley's longtime cook at his Graceland home, Mary Jenkins, shared the secrets behind the iconic meal.
In abbreviated version of the interview on Memphis Forgotten's Instagram, more is explained about Mary and her impact on 'The King of Rock & Roll' and his diet. "Did you know Elvis Presley’s legendary love for food had a lot to do with the magic of his cook, Mary Jenkins? 👑🍳 She was the heart behind The King’s favorite meals, including his iconic peanut butter & banana sandwiches and mouthwatering cheeseburgers. 🍌🥜🍔," the caption of the post reads.
"When I walked in the dining room I said 'Good morning!' and he said, 'Good morning! I said, 'What are we gonna have for breakfast thing morning?' He said, 'Fried peanut butter and banana sandwich.' And I looked at him and I said, 'What?!' He said, 'Fried peanut butter and banana sandwich.' I said, 'I never heard of it!'" she shared.
The video shows Jenkins preparing the sandwich exactly how Presley liked them. As she cooks, she talks about the first time he ever had her make the peanut butter and banana sandwich for him–which didn't go exactly smooth.
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"The first time I went in, fixed the sandwich and put it on the tray and brought it back–that wasn't right. His father was sitting there, and he said Mary I'm going with you and help you, and maybe both of us can get it right.' I said, 'Okay!' He said, 'Let's toast the bread first'," she explains. "So we toast the bread, then spread the peanut butter on and slice the bananas and put 'em on and put them into the skillet and kept turning them with the spatula, and turning them until they get heated all the way through. Then I take them and cut them and put them on the platter and take them back ot him. And he said, 'Now that's what I want! That's right!' And then smiled.
- YouTubewww.youtube.com
The video continues, and Jenkins explains how making the peanut butter and banana sandwich became a very regular occurrence. "If he wanted them in the morning when he woke up, I would have to fix 'em. If he wanted them at 2 o'clock in the morning, I would have to still have to fix em for him. Whenever he get a taste for 'em, he'd call down and that's what he wanted. Well yeah, I imagine that helped to make him heavy, because he wanted them real rich," she said, showing the sandwiches sizzling in hot butter in the skillet."
Jenkins tells the interviewer
They had him on a strict diet one time. They had food coming in from California for him. Sometimes he'd eat it, sometimes he wouldn't. He said it was the only thing he got any enjoyment out of–was eating," she says.
Finally, Mary tells a funny story about how she corroborated with Presley to sneak him food into the hospital while he was on a strict diet.
"When he was in the hospital, he would call me to bring him in different foods. One day he called me and told me and said, 'Mary they have me on a diet.' And I want you to slip me some hot dogs with kraut on them. Wrap 'em up and slip 'em in to me and tell them you have some clothes you bringing me up here. So I went on in with the bag in my hand, and handed it to him. And he looked at me and smiled. He said, 'Mary, we can get by 'em, can't we?' And I said, 'Yeah we sure can.' And he opened that bag and went to workin' on them hot dogs."
The clip got a passionate response from viewers. "I love this. You can tell she really loved Elvis. I want to see more. ❤️," one wrote. Another added, "2 am sandwiches is wild work😂😂😂." And another wrote, "Mary is priceless ❤️."
Representative Image Source: Pexels | Mikhail Nilov
Representative Image Source: Pexels | Tima Miroshnichenko
