Editor’s Note: The Historic New Orleans Collection and The New Orleans Advocate present this occasional series looking back on the people, events and traditions that have shaped the Crescent City. The ...

My pantry could be used as a test for culinary knowledge. There are loads of various spices, herbs, oils, sugars, flours, leavening agents and dried fruits. Many times, my husband has asked, “Where is ...

As someone who binge-watched “Muscles & Mayhem: An Unauthorized Story of American Gladiators” on Netflix, I don’t shy away from the gauntlet. Recently, a reader threw one down. Granted, it had a ...

Q–Can you tell me where to find file powder? –Willie Lumford, Chicago. Q–File (pronounced FEE-lay) powder, made from dried leaves of the sassafras plant, is most often used in Creole cooking, ...

Try it: File (FEE-lay) powder is prized for its woodsy flavoring and for its thickening properties in gumbo, soups and stews. Some glean a hint of thyme in its flavor. File powder is an important ...

Some friends, aware that I liked sassafras tea, brought me some sassafras root one recent day. It was probably two feet long with a large amount of bark still attached, and even at the rate that I can ...

Filé powder has been used by cooks in the Louisiana region for centuries. Filé is the ground leaf of the sassafras tree, Sassafras albidum, a member of the laurel family. Native to North America, the ...

This seasoning, made from dried and ground sassafras leaves, is used to thicken gumbos and adds a distinct Creole flavor. It is added at the end of cooking because it can become harsh-tasting or ...