The Chef Behind Elvis' Iconic Peanut Butter And Banana Sandwiches

What do you know about Elvis Presley? That he was the King of Rock 'n' Roll, that a bunch of people in Las Vegas impersonate him, that he left a building at some point or another? Considering that Elvis was one of the defining cultural figures of the 20th century, it would be hard not to know this, and more. Heck, we even know his favorite food: fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches, which sometimes included bacon and was often eaten in copious amounts. But did you know that the woman who made him those sandwiches — along with pretty much everything else he wanted — was Mary Jenkins Langston, who cooked for Presley at Graceland for 14 years?

Although she was technically an employee of Presley, Langston eventually became something of a family member. Presley, who was famously generous to those in his inner circle, bought her a house in Memphis, as well as several Cadillacs for her and her relatives. And, after his sudden death in 1977 at the age of 42, his widow, Priscilla, retained Langston as a cook for another 12 years until her eventual retirement. After she retired, she wrote a book called "Memories Beyond Graceland Gates;" she appeared in a BBC documentary called "The Burger and the King" that detailed Presley's dietary habits; and she eventually died in 2000 at the age of 78.

Mary Jenkins Langston described making huge amounts of food for Elvis Presley; like cheeseburgers, chicken fried steaks, and homemade biscuits fried in butter, which she would bring to Presley's bedroom. He was never one for foods like fussy and expensive caviar. Instead, Presley favored rich, fatty dishes in bacchanalian quantities. One of his other favorite sandwiches, for instance, was the Fool's Gold Loaf, which involved a whole loaf of Italian bread, hollowed out and stuffed with full jars of peanut butter and jelly, as well as a pound of bacon. Along with that, Presley loved a classic Southern appetizer: fried pickles.

Although Presley achieved wealth beyond most people's wildest dreams, his palate remained unpretentious. He grew up poor in Mississippi, and his love of pig feet and chitlins (an example of offal, which Americans don't often eat) stuck with him for the rest of his life. To be sure, this kind of diet took a toll on Presley's health. His weight gain in the latter part of his life is well-documented, and is believed to have contributed to his death of a heart attack (He also took prescription drugs which affected his metabolism). But just as Elvis Presley remains a titan of pop culture, the food he ate lives on, too — thanks in part to Mary Jenkins Langston.