Emily Mack
Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll, defines Americana. He is 1950s galore, he is kitsch, he is Southern roots and all. It’s Elvis memorabilia that you expect to see in any old diner: his face on clocks, posters, and restaurant jukeboxes. And so, it’s fitting that the King enjoyed this classic American meal, every day, for six months…
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Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes
Yep, it was a plate of this old-school classic that fed Elvis Presley for months: mm, mm, meatloaf and mashed potatoes. “He definitely was a creature of habit, so if it was made in the South … he liked it,” the Graceland archivist Angie Marchese recently shared with Express.co.uk.
Can’t go wrong with that! You can even try making your own meatloaf a’la Elvis with this Graceland recipe:
Marchese said it was Priscilla Presley who revealed that Elvis ate meatloaf and mashed potatoes every day for half a year. She also offered some context for Elvis’ comfort food tastes: “Elvis grew up on good ol’ Southern food… Anything that he grew up on was some of his favorites,” she said listing some additional favorites fried chicken and
He had a heart attack while at home in his Graceland estate. And yes, he was actually using the bathroom at the time.
At the time, less was understood at the time about the extent of Elvis’ drug use. His personal physician, “Dr. Nick” — who makes many shady appearances in Elvis —liberally prescribed Elvis opioids which were known to cause “savage constipation.” Severely weakened by rampant substance abuse, Elvis’ heart simply could not take it.
mac and cheese.
At their 1967 wedding in Las Vegas, the Presleys served fried chicken, ham, eggs, and the famous six-tiered wedding cake that dwarfed the King!
Marchese added that Elvis inherited his unique palette from his mother, Gladys Presley. The two shared an intense and complicated bond. Gladys, who was born in Mississippi and raised her son there, naturally instilled in him a love of classic Southern dishes.
Elvis’ Other Kooky Food Habits
Eating meatloaf and mashed potatoes every day is, honestly, a pretty normal Elvis food story. The King is famous for his weird tastes.
First, his hankering for fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches is well-documented. It’s now a famous dish in its own right, sometimes served with bacon: a PBB&B.
In 1976, famously, Presley took his private jet all the way to Denver just to try the Fool’s Gold Loaf: a hollowed-out loaf of Italian bread filled with a whole jar of peanut butter — Elvis loved peanut butter! — jelly, margarine… oh, and a pound of fried bacon. Then the whole thing was deep fried, totaling up to 42,000 calories and setting him back $49.95… plus $16,00 in travel costs.
Basically, Elvis loved bacon. Another favorite sandwich of his included crumbled burnt bacon, mayonnaise, canned olives, and chopped pecans on crustless white bread. He also used to make “Elvis party meatballs” which were, you guessed it, meatballs he wrapped in bacon.
By the time Elvis died in 1977, the one-time sex symbol was 350 pounds. According to experts, by that point, he was regularly taking in 10,000 to 12,000 calories per day. He was 42 years old.
The Death of Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley suffered a heart attack at his Graceland home in August 1977. And the rumors are true: he was actually using the bathroom at the time. His personal physician, “Dr. Nick” liberally prescribed Elvis opioids which were known to cause “savage constipation.”
And his heart, weakened by rampant drug use and his bad physical shape, simply could not take it.
At the time of Elvis’ death, less was understood at the time about the extent of his drug use. In 1980, Dr. Nick was indicted for overprescribing both Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis, but acquitted. In 1995, his medical license was finally revoked. But the damage was done.
