Elvis Presley’s peanut butter sandwich was the stuff of
legends. Made with peanut butter, banana, and bacon, Elvis’s mother supposedly
fed him these sandwiches as a child, which he would “wolf” down, one after
another.
Elvis isn’t the only celebrity with an unusual PB sandwich
combination. Author Ernest Hemmingway was apparently known for something even
stranger: peanut butter and onion.
It is unknown if Hemmingway actually scarfed this savory sammie
or just wrote about it. In “Islands in the Stream,” he called it a “Mount Everest
Special.” It consists of white bread, salted butter, white onion and creamy
peanut butter. Simple, weird and questionably good. It definitely makes The Elvis look a little ordinary.
Writer Lillian Stone sampled the sandwich for The Takeout
and decided it actually wasn’t that bad. She was prepared for the worst, but
found the sandwich actually worked. Thanks to both the peanut butter
and onion's sulphury, umami flavors, the ingredients don’t clash but play together.
Is this sandwich going to take over Coachella or wow the
judges on "Top Chef?" Probably not. But if you’re light on groceries and these
ingredients are all you have kicking around, it might hit the spot. So would
plain peanut butter on bread, though, so don’t feel too much pressure to add
that onion in unless the spirit of Papa Hemmingway so moves you.