When Elvis Presley broke into the music scene he very quickly became known as the “King of Rock.” The people just couldn’t get enough of the country boy’s swinging hips and delicious velvety croon.
Still, even when Elvis became a major star, he never forgot his country roots. Whenever he could get his hands on a plate of soul food, he gobbled it right up.
Elvis lived a life of true excess, and the list of his favorite foods reveal just how far he was willing to go for some comforting, high-calorie grub. When you hear about his regular diet, you just might get all shook up!
1. Peanut Butter and Jelly Sub
This sandwich was a real favorite of the King’s, and it’s not hard to see why—it’s positively decadent. This sandwich went by another name, too: Fool’s Gold Loaf. It’s made with bacon sandwiched between two slices of submarine roll that’s been slathered in peanut butter and jelly.
2. The Bologna BBQ Surprise
Because Elvis was a Memphis boy, it’s no shock that he loved tucking into good barbecue whenever he could enjoy it. One of his favorite smoked treats? A entire rack of barbecued bologna slathered in sauce and slow-cooked for hours.
3. Meatballs Wrapped in Bacon
If the King were alive today he would have gone just nutty for the low-carb diet trend… until he realized there was no sugar allowed! One of his favorite appetizers was meatballs wrapped in bacon and swimming in, you guessed it, barbecue sauce.
4. Fried Pickles
This is the first vegetable to make the King’s list, so naturally, it’s super salty. To make it, you slice up dill pickles, bread them, and fry them until they’re crispy, like chips. The King didn’t do anything halfway, and that included lunch!
5. Coconut Cake
When it was time to dig into dessert, Elvis loved this retro cake. The simplicity of the vanilla cake might not seem like the King’s style… until you realize that it’s dripping with coconut butter cream and candied coconut flakes.
6. Poached and Candied Salmon
At last! It looks like Elvis did have one healthy food that he was a fan of snacking on: salmon! Ah, but there’s a very Elvis twist to this dish: he preferred his salmon dipped in sugar and candied. Would you expect anything less?
7. Monkey Bread
Throughout the course of his life, Elvis very rarely ever met a carbohydrate that he did not like. Monkey bread in particular held a special place in his heart. This doughy, pull-apart loaf is made from biscuit dough, drowned in caramel sauce, and topped with pecans.
8. Tomato Fritters
Elvis loved tomatoes. Though, like most other vegetables, he preferred them deep-fried, thus voiding them of most of their nutritional value. Still, you have to admit, these tasty fritters look pretty darn tempting.
9. Country Fair Cookies
Elvis’s favorite cookies might look tasty, and that’s because they are! They even contain a healthy dose of fiber with a couple of cups of oatmeal. You’ll need that oatmeal since the recipe also calls for three sticks of butter and four eggs.
10. Peanut Butter, Banana, and Bacon Sandwich
This is, perhaps, the snack Elvis is the most well-known for enjoying. He liked his peanut butter and banana sandwiches grilled with plenty of butter, and he was also known to add a couple of slices of bacon to the treat from time to time, just for good, salty measure.
While Elvis will always be the King of Rock ‘n Roll, the contents of his kitchen back in the day must have been enough to make even the most stalwart dietician shudder. That’s classic Elvis living every day to the absolute hilt.
