Chen Mapo

Chen Mapo was a pioneering chef from Chengdu, Sichuan Province, renowned for inventing the iconic dish mapo tofu in the mid-19th century. Known for her smallpox scars, which inspired the dish's name, she originally served the dish with pork mince before adapting it to beef in the 1920s, leading to its rise in popularity and status as a beloved culinary classic.