The sassafras tree is the only North American spice, although its kitchen usage is restricted to a small area. European, mostly French, dishes were modified, enriched with local ressources and made more spicy. What is called gumbo is a tasty soup made from sea food, craw fish or even chicken, which owes its thickness to plenty of okras, an African vegetable. Gumbo is always eaten with plain rice. A second cooking tradition of Louisiana is that of the Cajuns , French-speaking immigrants from Canada.
Many dishes are stews with long cooking time, yielding a perfect blend of flavours.
In most countries outside the United States, sassafras is looked upon with suspicion because of its high content of safrol, an hepatotoxic and probably cancerogenic agent.