Elvis Banned This Food From Entering Graceland

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Elvis Presley was an American icon who changed the face of music and pop culture, but the legendary singer was also well known for his prodigious appetite. The King famously loved a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich, but he had notable food dislikes, too. One of the biggest was fish, which he wouldn't even allow inside Graceland.

Archivist Angie Marchese spoke about his fish aversion during a 2021 virtual tour of Elvis' renowned Memphis mansion: "He didn't like the smell of fish being cooked in the house. There was never any fish in the house" (via Express). Lamar Fike, a close friend of the King of Rock and Roll, said the same in the 1996 BBC documentary "The Burger and the King." The distaste extended to all seafood, according to Mary Jenkins, who cooked for Elvis for 14 years up until his 1977 death at age 42. She wrote in her 1984 book, "Elvis, Memories Beyond Graceland Gates" that "Elvis didn't like seafood at all. He wouldn't let us cook it whenever he was in the house."

Elvis' cousin Billy Smith also revealed in a YouTube video demonstrating a turkey and dressing he'd made for Elvis that he didn't like onions. Elvis even complained once about smelling onions on his breath, so Smith never ate them again when he was going to Graceland.

Chief among the foods the King liked was the fried peanut butter and banana sandwich, which is sometimes referred to as "The Elvis." Archivist Angie Marchese shared that Elvis also loved the Southern food he grew up eating, such as macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, and America's favorite dinner, meatloaf. Interestingly, he reportedly enjoyed his meatloaf with a unique ingredient: wheat germ.

Elvis also notably loved one sandwich so much that he sometimes ate it by the loaf: the Fool's Gold Loaf. This extravagant creation from the now-defunct Colorado Mine Company consisted of an entire loaf of bread with the center crumb removed, then filled with a whole jar of peanut butter, a whole jar of blueberry jam, and a pound of bacon. When it came to sweets, Elvis enjoyed a Southern classic: banana pudding. However, he was also partial to rich and buttery pound cake.