The Commonwealth of the Bahamas and the British Overseas Territory of the Turks and Caicos Islands are located in the North Atlantic Ocean rather than the Caribbean Sea, but they are often grouped with the nations of the Caribbean for convenience.
File' File' (pronounced fee-lay) is the traditional table condiment used on gumbo. Because of this, sometimes it is called gumbo file. The early Cajuns learned to use file' from the Choctaw Indians of the Gulf coast, who evidently used it to thicken soups. File' is ground sassafras (Sassafras albidum) leaves. Sassafras albidum (for more complete information) Sassafras is a small inconspicuous deciduous tree.
A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, berry, bud or other vegetable substance primarily used for flavoring, coloring or preserving food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are parts of leafy green plants used for flavoring or as a garnish. Many spices have antimicrobial properties.