The type of seafood varies, and vegetables such as okra and spices like filé powder can be included. Traditionally, the sausage used in gumbo is andouille. This spicy sausage — brought to ...

while the roux from which every gumbo is born has French origins. Filé, a spice made of ground sassafras leaves, is used as a thickening agent in gumbo and has roots in Native American culture.