Mapo
/ˈmɑː.poʊ/noun
A spicy Sichuan-style dish, especially mapo tofu, made with tofu, fermented bean paste, chili, and Sichuan pepper.
Did you know?The name is traditionally linked to Chen Mapo, a woman in nineteenth-century Chengdu whose facial pockmarks became part of the dish’s famous identity.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Chinese
Chinese
麻
“má — hemp; by extension, pockmarked or rough-textured”
Ancient Chinese
Chinese
婆
“pó — an older woman or grandmother”
19th Century
Sichuan Chinese
麻婆
“má pó — literally, “pockmarked old woman,” used as a personal nickname”
19th Century
Chinese
麻婆豆腐
“má pó dòufu — “pockmarked-woman tofu,” the famous spicy tofu dish”
20th–21st Century
English
mapo
“An English culinary borrowing, usually appearing in “mapo tofu””
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