Sassafras Trees & Filé Powder
I’m always looking for new ways to make my Creole & Cajun cuisine more authentic, and a great way to do this is to make as many ingredients as possible from scratch, no matter how painstaking the process. Although for me, the more painstaking the process, the more fun I have doing it. 
I’ve always wanted to make my own Filé powder from scratch but didn’t have access to a Sassafras tree. Last fall I found a tree near my home here in Michigan, but never got around to harvesting any branches, so I took care of that today. It will be interesting to taste true, pure Filé powder, as most store bought varieties have some kind of addition such as Thyme.
When looking for a Sassafras tree look for leaves as seen below, with smooth edges. There is a weed here in Michigan that looks very similar, but has jagged edges. Some sassafras leaves are mitten shaped, some have 3 prongs, and some are football shaped. If you can get to it’s roots they will smell strongly of Root Beer.
My friend Bill Moran at Texas Chef says that it’s important to dry the leaves on the branches. He also says that if you have large branches to hang them from the gutters on your house. I’ve simply bound the branches together and hung them upside down from a fence:
More to come on this topic when my Sassafras leaves are totally dry.
Be sure to check out my ever growing Index of Creole & Cajun Recipes!
Bill Moran is my friend, too, and I’m sure he’s right!
As a young Boy Scout in Louisiana we used to dig up young sasafras trees for their roots, strip them of their woody outer layer and boil them in water to make tea. Root beer flavored tea. The sasafras tree was a favorite on the Nature Trail because you could identify it by the three different kinds of leaves, single lobed to triple lobed.
Sasparilla is a root beer flavored drink made from sasafras tea and carbonated.
Comment by Bill Farrell — June 27, 2006 @ 2:20 am
thanks for the info I have lived in ny all my 40+ yrs hunting and fishing never knew there were sasafras trees here. Thanks again
Comment by james — June 4, 2007 @ 6:26 pm
My yard is full of sassafras seedlings which I cut down whenever I have time. If you need more leaves, let me know and I’ll send you some.
Good luck!
Barbara
Comment by Barbara Allen — July 27, 2007 @ 7:20 am
Barbara ,
I would like to have some Sassafras seeds or leaves to make my own File Powder , Would you send me some .
Thank you
Jennifer
Comment by Jennifer Tran — October 1, 2007 @ 12:45 pm
Kinda interesting, I wonder if the reason it’s weaker is because of the laws that also prohibit it from being used in Root Beer any longer…
Comment by Phillip Salzman — January 2, 2008 @ 1:55 pm
Bill Farrell wrote that “Sasparilla is a root beer flavored drink made from sasafras tea and carbonated.” I just thought I’d correct that–root beer itself used to be made from sassafras, though with the FDA restrictions on sassafras root it’s now mostly artificial or mocked up from other spices. But sarsaparilla is made from the sarsapirilla vine, not from sassafras. (And birch beer is made from birch).
Comment by Gerry S Hayes — January 22, 2008 @ 9:07 am
I lost my beautiful sassafras tree last year of old age.
Do you know where I can buy a new one? I really miss its fall beauty.
Comment by Phyllis Cahill — May 18, 2008 @ 3:14 pm
to go with the lore in cajun country,harvest sassafras
leaves on the full moon of august…and gumbo will never be
the real deal without file`… ya-ya gumbo !
Comment by michel colman — July 17, 2008 @ 9:45 am
I would like to get two of these trees. Where can I buy them, maybe as seedlings, in Louisiana?
karen g
Comment by Karen — August 3, 2008 @ 9:25 am