Filé powder ✦

Poudre de filé

What it is

The Choctaw ground dried sassafras leaf and called it kombo, a word that may well be the root of gumbo itself. Filé is simply the French for threaded, which is a warning as much as a name: let the pot boil and it goes stringy.

In the kitchen

Take the gumbo off the heat before it goes anywhere near the powder, then stir in a scant teaspoon per bowl. Better still, set the jar on the table and let each person thicken their own.

Goes with

Okra Shrimp Chicken Andouille Celery Bell pepper Onion Rice

Something wrong here, or missing? Tell us