Two of my favorite dishes that will blow your socks off:

Rabbit Sauce Piquant

Alligator Snapping Turtle Soup

(I think they may be protected now...not sure)...just checked and as of June 14, 2006 it is on the threatened species list. I would assume they are using some other type of turtle for soup or maybe farming the Snapping Turtle.

File' go in da gumbo after cooked, jambalaya don got no file!
Ma che' I don tell ya!

dammit, I meant gumbo!

Leah-Ann, I never known sassafras to smell bad while cooking....maybe I was just used to it.

Loansum, got a recipe for that Rabbit Sauce Piquant?

File powder (sassafras) is used mainly as a thickener as opposed to flavoring.

maybe that's it! I feel the same way about the smell of tripe when mother-in-law makes menuedo - husband can't figure out what smell I'm complaining about!

always found the okra did most of the thickening.

They usually only used the file powder as a substitute for okra when it wasn't in season. Leah-Ann tripe cooking on the stove is just about the only thing that could make be gag, yet I love it after it's cooked.

Here ya go ma cherie:

Rabbit Sauce Piquant I
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 lb dressed rabbit, cut into servings places
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 ran Rotel tomatoes, chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red pepper
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 chopped onion
1/2 chopped bell pepper
1 chopped celery rib
One 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 can beef gravy
1 tbs oyster sauce
1 tsp lemon juice
1 can sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Season meat with salt, red pepper and black pepper. Heat oil. Brown meat well. Remove meat and excess oil, leaving brown residue in bottom of pot. Add onion, bell pepper and color. Stir well, scraping residue off bottom of pot. Saute until onions wilt. Add garlic and tomato sauce. Simmer 15 minutes. Add Rotel tomatoes and beef gravy. Simmer 15 minutes. Add oyster sauce, lemon juice, mushrooms and browned rabbit. Stir and simmer on low heat for 2 hours. Add green onions and parsley. Simmer 20 minutes. Serve over rice.