{"id":12,"date":"2008-05-15T09:53:50","date_gmt":"2008-05-15T13:53:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cajunchefryan.rymocs.com\/blog2\/2008\/05\/15\/file-spice-powder-or-gumbo-file\/"},"modified":"2008-06-05T14:20:40","modified_gmt":"2008-06-05T18:20:40","slug":"file-spice-powder-or-gumbo-file","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/cajunchefryan.rymocs.com\/blog2\/spices\/file-spice-powder-or-gumbo-file\/","title":{"rendered":"File’ Spice Powder or Gumbo File’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"File'File’ (pronounced fee-lay<\/font>) spice powder is a unique ingredient used primarily for making a good gumbo, and it is a necessity for cooking authentic Cajun cuisine. Quite simply, file’ is the powdered leaves of the sassafras tree. When ground, it has a faint\u00a0smell like eucalyptus. Long before the use of file’ powder for Creole and Cajun cooking, Choctaw Indians of the Gulf coast\u00a0pounded sassafras leaves into a powder and added them to soups and stews. In addition to contributing an unusual flavor, the powder also acts as a thickener when added to liquid.<\/p>\n

Typically I will add the file’ powder toward the end of making a gumbo, but before I put it into the hot gumbo I will mix the fine file’ powder with a small amount of cool water until it is dissolved creating a thick slurry. I then fold in the file’ slurry into the hot gumbo. This prevents the file’ powder from clumping and keeps it smooth in the gumbo. File’ does really help thicken up a gumbo and it adds a unique flavor profile too.<\/p>\n

Here is a link to an interesting article on General Horticulture.com <\/a>about how to make your own file’ powder. It has some good background on the sassafras plant.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

File’ (pronounced fee-lay) spice powder is a unique ingredient used primarily for making a good gumbo, and it is a necessity for cooking authentic Cajun cuisine. Quite simply, file’ is the powdered leaves of the sassafras tree. When ground, it has a faint\u00a0smell like eucalyptus. Long before the use of file’ powder for Creole and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,14],"tags":[35,38,36,2056,37,34],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t