There are several recipes out there for good gumbo, and some of them are BOGUS! LOL.

That being said, I think the most important ingredient is this:

It's pronounced FEE-lay. Gumbo File' is a powder of sassafras leaves and servers primarily as a thickener. Some sources say that if you use okra, you do not use file'. My mom never put okra in her gumbo, so I have no clue if that's true or not. File has a particular flavor to it as well....and if I don't detect any, I know I am eating some fake-arse gumbo! LOL. But that's just my two cents. Once you have all your ingredients together, the first thing you do is make a roux.....but that's a hole 'nother post....