What leafy green is traditionally used to color and flavor Louisiana filé powder?

Sassafras leaves are traditionally dried and ground to make the filé powder used in Louisiana cooking. The powder comes from the leaves of the sassafras tree and has a distinctive herbal flavor.

Filé powder is especially associated with Choctaw food traditions and Louisiana Creole cuisine. It can be stirred into gumbo near the end of cooking as a seasoning and thickener. Some cooks instead place it on the table so diners can add it to individual bowls.

Filé powder is not the same ingredient as roux or okra, the other major thickening traditions associated with gumbo. Sassafras roots contain safrole, a compound that led to regulatory concerns about commercial sassafras products, but culinary filé powder is made from the leaves. It should be used sparingly because its flavor can become pronounced and its texture slightly stringy if overused.