Some commercial breweries switched 
over to making root beer. 
By then, it was no longer necessary to 
decoct flavorings from roots and barks 
as part of the actual brewing process. 
Chemists had learned to extract the es- 
sential oils of sassafras and wintergreen 
in the early nineteenth century. Later, 
they discovered methyl salicylate, a 
chemical also known as artificial oil of 
wintergreen. 
Modern root beer manufacturers 
also dispense with molasses and resort 
to caramel coloring, which is some- 
times souped up with soybean protein 
to make something known as foaming- 
type caramel. This is only one of several 
agents employed to give root beer a 
foamy head. Manufacturers also mix in 
a small amount of citric acid as a pre- 
servative that attacks bacteria responsi- 
ble for cloudiness, syrupyness, and 
ropyness. 
If all this organic chemistry makes 
you never want to drink root beer 
again, you can, without much trouble, 
hunt down a bottle of root beer extract 
at your local country store and brew 
your own. Or if that isn’t natural 
enough, you could start from scratch, 
locating a sassafras log and stripping 
the bark. For an even more authentic 
and sophisticated flavor, extirpate a 
sarsaparilla shrub (Smilax glauca), dry 
the bitter roots and throw them into the 
caldron along with stems and leaves of 
the wintergreen ( Gaultheria procum- 
bens) or the young bark of the sweet 
birch ( Betula lenta). 
These other plants are not only tradi- 
tional but entirely safe. Natural sassa- 
fras, however, is something you will 
probably want to avoid. Experiments 
conducted more than twenty years ago 
showed that the major constituent of oil 
of sassafras, a chemical called safrole, 
caused liver damage in dogs and cancer 
in rats and mice. The Food and Drug 
Administration banned safrole, which 
forced root beer manufacturers to fore- 
go the use of oil of sassafras altogether. 
One soft drink executive told me that 
the flavorings he now uses, such as oil 
of sweet birch, are not nearly as tasty as 
sassafras. 
More recently, sassafras bark was 
banned for sale as sassafras tea unless it 
has been processed to make it safrole- 
free. Federal labeling requirements do 
not oblige manufacturers to state 
whether sassafras tea has been purified 
of safrole, but in any case, it seems 
pointless to buy the stuff. Either it is 
dangerous or it has had its principal fla- 
voring element removed. 
Only file remains safe and available 
in its traditional form. Or at least that 
seems to be the case. Composed only of 
pulverized sassafras leaves, this spice 
either retains its potency after safrole 
removal or it does not naturally contain 
enough safrole to be banned. Without 
laboratory analysis, it is impossible to 
determine which is the case. 
One thing is sure. Sassafras trees 
themselves are harmless as long as you 
Mrs. Pat Cashman’s Turkey and 
Sausage Gumbo 
1 turkey carcass (preferably from a 
smoked turkey), with a little meat 
left on 
!4 cup oil 
14 cup flour 
1 14 large onions, peeled and chopped 
14 green pepper, stemmed, seeded, 
and chopped 
1 rib celery, chopped 
114 pounds smoked sausage (such as 
kielbasa), cut into 214-inch rounds 
Salt 
Red and black pepper 
cup chopped parsley 
Vi cup chopped scallion tops 
2 cups rice, cooked 
4—5 teaspoons file 
1. Cover carcass with water, bring to 
a boil, and simmer until meat be- 
gins to fall off bones, about one 
hour. 
2. Remove carcass from broth and 
pick the meat off. Discard carcass 
Mrs. Vernon M. Ventress, Jr.’s Wild 
Duck, Sausage, and Oyster Gumbo 
1 cup oil or bacon drippings 
1 cup flour 
4 onions, peeled and chopped 
4 celery ribs, chopped 
1 bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and 
chopped 
3 garlic cloves, minced 
Vi cup parsley, chopped 
1 pound smoked sausage (such as 
kielbasa), cut in ‘/.-inch rounds 
4 wild ducks, cut up for frying 
2 bay leaves 
2 teaspoons salt 
Black pepper 
Cayenne pepper 
3 pints oysters 
2 cups rice, cooked 
File 
Chopped scallions 
don’t chew them. Myself, when I need a 
panacea to ward off civilization’s dis- 
contents, I sidle up to an S. albidum in 
the woods, break off a sprig, and inhale 
the aroma, following the example of the 
Onondaga Indians, who called sassa- 
fras twigs “smelling sticks.” 
Raymond Sokolov, a writer with an in- 
terest in the history and preparation of 
food, is editor of Book Digest. 
and reserve meat and broth. 
3. In a heavy iron pot, heat oil and stir 
flour into it. Reduce heat to low 
and stir mixture until it turns medi- 
um brown. This is a roux. 
4. Add onion, pepper, and celery to 
roux. Cook until vegetables are 
tender, stirring constantly. 
5. Add 2 to 3 quarts broth (add water 
to bring liquid up to the minimum 
2 quarts, if necessary), sausage, 
and turkey meat. Bring to a boil, 
reduce heat and simmer for one 
hour. 
6. Season gumbo to taste with salt 
and pepper. Stir in parsley and 
scallion tops. Cook 10 minutes 
longer. 
7. To serve, put a portion of rice in a 
soup bowl (one per guest) and ladle 
gumbo over it. 
8 Pass file so that guests can thicken 
gumbo to their taste. Figure on ap- 
proximately !4 teaspoon file per 
guest. 
Yield: 8-10 servings 
1 . In a heavy iron pot, heat oil, stir in 
flour, cook over low heat, and stir 
constantly to make a brown roux. 
2. Add onions, celery, bell pepper, 
garlic, and parsley and cook until 
tender, stirring constantly. 
3. Add sausage and duck pieces. 
Cook until browned. 
4. Stir in 4 quarts hot water, bay 
leaves, salt, and peppers. Bring to a 
boil, reduce heat and simmer, cov- 
ered, for two hours or until duck is 
tender. 
5. Add oysters and one-half of oyster 
liquor. Simmer uncovered for thir- 
ty minutes. 
6. Put a portion of rice in each guest’s 
bowl. Ladle gumbo over the rice 
and pass chopped scallions and file 
as complements. Figure on about 
!/ 2 teaspoon file per guest. 
Yield: 8 servings 
100 
