Chapter 28: The United States and Canada—Glossary Aboriginal. One of the first, or native, inhabitants of a land. Cajun cuisine. Hearty fare of rural Southern Louisiana that reflects the foods and cooking methods of the Acadians, French, Native Americans, Africans, and Spanish. Creole cuisine. Style of food popular in the Southern United States that combines cooking techniques of the French with ingredients of the Africans, Caribbeans, Spanish, and Native Americans. filé. Flavoring and thickening agent made from the leaves of the sassafras tree, which have been dried and ground into a powder. gumbo. A Creole specialty that is a thick, souplike mixture containing a variety of seafood, poultry, meats, vegetables, and rice. imu. A pit lined with hot rocks used to roast a whole, young pig at a Hawaiian luau. jambalaya. A Creole specialty that is a mixture of rice; seasonings; and shellfish, poultry, and/or sausage. luau. Elaborate outdoor feast popular in the Hawaiian Islands. okra. A green, pod-shaped vegetable brought to the United States from Africa that is popular in the Deep South. Pennsylvania Dutch. Group of German immigrants who settled in the southeast section of Pennsylvania. potluck. A shared meal to which each person or family brings food for the whole group to eat. soul food. A cuisine developed in the Southern United States that combines food customs of African slaves with food customs of Native Americans and European sharecroppers. sourdough. A dough containing active microscopic yeast plants that is used as a leavening agent. yam. Dark orange tuber with moist flesh often confused with a sweet potato. Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. page 28.