Gumbo filé, the secret sassafras in this Creole classic New Orleans natives like chef Keland McWilliams say it’s just not gumbo without gumbo filé. Find out what it is, and where you can get ...

Creole gumbo often includes tomatoes, while Cajun gumbo recipes leave it out. According to Elie’s mother, Gerri, “you put tomato in okra gumbo to keep the okra from ‘roping.’ ...

Discover soul food spots across Louisiana where grandma’s gumbo still reigns supreme—rich roux, fresh seafood, and tradition ...

The Indians used sassafras leaves and the sassafras for many medicinal purposes, and the Creoles, quick to discover and apply, found the possibilities of the powdered sassafras, or "File," and ...

Its rendition of the soupy stew, called gumbo des herbes and regarded by many as the ultimate version, was created by the late, great chef Leah Chase, known as the “queen of Creole cuisine ...

And though Eliza was writing from Pennsylvania, her recipe for Filet Gumbo called for powdered sassafras and sweet-marjoram leaves. But something is a bit off in her filet gumbo recipe from 1846.

Roux is made similarly to gravy, mixing together flour and fat until a sauce thickens. The "secret flavoring" is a touch of ground sassafras leaves, which is a spice known as gumbo filé.

Seth Tillman visits Puddin’ at Union Market in DC for chicken and beef sausage gumbo. Host Seth Tillman heads to PUDDIN', a restaurant in DC's Union Market. There, chef and owner Toyin Allin ...