File Powder?

[SmokyMose]

I found a sausage & chicken Jambalaya recipe I'd like to try and it calls for a tsp of "File Powder". I'd never heard of it and Wikipaedia says it's from Sassafras and the FDA has outlawed it in the U.S. because it contains a carcinagen.
Do I really need this and is there a substitute?

 

[schlotz]

No you really don't need it. At 1 tsp, I doubt it is being used for thickening and instead for its flavor. Sassafras powder is readily available but obviously it's up to you to use or not. Okra is an alternate that many use but it's a different flavor. Not aware of a direct substitute.

 

[SmokyMose]

No you really don't need it. At 1 tsp, I doubt it is being used for thickening and instead for its flavor. Sassafras powder is readily available but obviously it's up to you to use or not. Okra is an alternate that many use but it's a different flavor. Not aware of a direct substitute.

Yeah, I have the same thoughts as far as thickening. I read that you can grind thyme and bay leaves for a comparative flavor, but I'll probably just blow it off. It's only a tsp.

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

Kind of a must in Gumbo but not so much in sausage I wouldn't think but Keith would know.

 

[sandyut]

File is sassafras and its not banned by the FDA. I bought some within the last month at Kroger. Its used in most if not all jambalaya. Should be easy to find. I would say yes you need it, unless you just cant find it.

 

[SmokyMose]

File is sassafras and its not banned by the FDA. I bought some within the last month at Kroger. Its used in most if not all jambalaya. Should be easy to find. I would say yes you need it, unless you just cant find it.

I was at a Kroger this morning and didn't see it. I'm not planning to make it 'til next week sometime. I plan to get out again Tuesday and will try another Kroger and maybe Meijer but if they don't have it I'll make do without it. Lots of empty slots in the spice sections the last couple of years. A couple of weeks ago Meijer was completely out of Paprika......

 

[SmokinEdge]

Bought some to try a couple years ago at Kroger. I wasn’t a fan of it. If you were closer I’d give you my jar to try.

 

[sandyut]

I was at a Kroger this morning and didn't see it. I'm not planning to make it 'til next week sometime. I plan to get out again Tuesday and will try another Kroger and maybe Meijer but if they don't have it I'll make do without it. Lots of empty slots in the spice sections the last couple of years. A couple of weeks ago Meijer was completely out of Paprika......

I check the website/app and see where its located in the store. I assume its in the spice isle, but our Kroger does some odd stocking sometimes.

I was surprised ours had it, its a small mtn town Kroger.

 

[chopsaw]

Check the deli , spice aisle , ethnic aisle and the seafood area .
No Kroger here , but I shop a local family grocery . They have it in multiple areas .

 

[SmokyMose]

Bought some to try a couple years ago at Kroger. I wasn’t a fan of it. If you were closer I’d give you my jar to try.

lol!
I'm not worried about it. I'm not running around the city to find something I MIGHT use once or twice a year. My spice cabinet already has enough of that sort of thing.......

 

[indaswamp]

Well, being that I live in the Jambalaya Capital of the World in Gonzales, Louisiana, I feel qualified to comment on this. File' is not an ingredient in Jambalaya. But once you get to New Orleans with more Creole influence, tomato and herb start making an appearance in Jambalaya. File' is not banned in the US by the FDA. It is regularly sold all over in stores here. Now gumbo- that is where file' shines.

 

[SMOKEOCD]

I try 2 maybe 3 stores then Amazon it. More than a couple stops, the gas could cover the cost of ordering it online. I think making it with and without is the only way to know for sure.
I only use it maybe 2x a year, usually around Mardi Gras- for no particular reason. It’s just the time of year I think to make it.

 

[okie sawbones]

File provides a mucilaginous texture to gumbo, acting as a thickener when okra is not used or to supplement it. I've never used it in jambalaya, which ironically I am making for lunch today.

 

[SmokyMose]

Well, being that I live in the Jambalaya Capital of the World in Gonzales, Louisiana, I feel qualified to comment on this. File' is not an ingredient in Jambalaya. But once you get to New Orleans with more Creole influence, tomato and herb start making an appearance in Jambalaya. File' is not banned in the US by the FDA. It is regularly sold all over in stores here. Now gumbo- that is where file' shines.

Thank you! I was wondering if you'd chime in. You've made up my mind. Scratch the File.
As far as being banned, so much for Wikipaedia....
I made Gumbo once several years ago and the recipe (supposedly from a Louisiana lady) didn't mention file powder. All I really remember was stirring roux FOREVER!
I have a feeling it's kind of like Meatloaf, Chili and Beef Stew here in Indiana. However Mom made it is the right way...
I may just start on this today.

 

[1MoreFord]

In one sense file is like cilantro. They both are loved by some and hated by others. I am one of the don't likes. Please don't add it blindly to anything and poll your audience to see if it's a known objectionable ingredient. This is one of the reasons to only offer it as a table seasoning for gumbo and not a cooked in seasoning.

 

[dward51]

Walmart online has it.... I don't know about being illegal to sell as that is where the File' in "File' Gumbo" comes from.

Walmart - Zatarain's Ground File' Powder

 

[okie sawbones]

Filé has never been illegal to buy/sell. I don't know where that got started.

 

[GatorAGR]

Well, being that I live in the Jambalaya Capital of the World in Gonzales, Louisiana, I feel qualified to comment on this. File' is not an ingredient in Jambalaya. But once you get to New Orleans with more Creole influence, tomato and herb start making an appearance in Jambalaya. File' is not banned in the US by the FDA. It is regularly sold all over in stores here. Now gumbo- that is where file' shines.

As soon as I saw a cajun question, I thought "Where's @indaswamp ?" Scrolled a few posts down and my go-to cajun resource appeared!

 

[zwiller]

IIRC the legality thing is this: File is ok as is powdered leaf and does not contain much safrole whereas sassafras root contains a LOT.

 

[okie sawbones]

IIRC the legality thing is this: File is ok as is powdered leaf and does not contain much safrole whereas sassafras root contains a LOT.

Yep, safrole is supposed to be carcinogenic.