Reminiscing on Louisiana and File Powder

One of the many wonderful dishes so justly famous in Louisiana is Gumbo. And, there are two types of Gumbo, namely Filé Gumbo and Okra Gumbo. I think we all know what okra is, and we fall into two camps: either we love it or hate it for its "sliminess." And those who love it will say it is not slimy at all, but it's all in the way it's prepared.

Powdered Sassafras or File Powder

I am not in the "I Love Okra" camp, but I have eaten the Okra Gumbo, because I was on a mission. At any restaurant I tried in my 2 years in Louisiana, I tried their gumbo. It is amazing how many variations there are. From thick and stew-like to runny and soup-like. From okra thickened to Filé thickened. And that brings me to the reason for this blog. 

What is Filé Powder? 

File Powder is nothing more than powdered sassafras leaves. 

"Okay," you might say, skeptically, "what then is sassafras?" I will explain, taking information from many books and from online. I am not espousing its wholesale use, but simply explaining. The information is there to be found.

Sassafras, "Sassafras albidum," is a native American tree, found in most of the Eastern United States, from Michigan to Texas, and eastward. The trees are small and deciduous, with mitten-shaped green to yellow-green leaves with one or two "thumbs" to the mitten shape. The leaves are the part of the plant used for Filé Powder. These leaves are slightly downy and alternately placed along a stem. In autumn the leaves turn to shades of bright yellow or orange-gold, tinged red. The tree is also a host plant for the Spicebush Swallowtail Butterfly.

Shape of Sassafras Leaves

"The Choctaw Indians (Native Americans) of the American South were the first to use ground, dried sassafras leaves as a seasoning," according to Wikipedia. It was also an important medicinal plant to any Native Americans living within its range. Later, it was discovered that Sassafras contains safrole, which apparently causes liver damage in laboratory animals, and was banned. It was found that this substance is most highly concentrated in the bark and roots of the tree, far less so in the leaves. Safrole is common enough and also found in other spices such as nutmeg, star anise or black pepper, and generally only small amounts are used to sprinkle over File Gumbo.

Powdered young sassafras leaves are best used at the end of cooking, as the powder turns stringy if boiled. The word "filé," is likely taken from the French "filer," meaning stringy or ropy. It has a slight thickening property, much as the okra does, for Gumbo.

Most often used in Creole cooking, Filé Powder is a flavoring and thickening agent. Use it or not, as you choose. I think it makes Gumbo taste wonderful!


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.