The dish was invented in 1862 by Chen Liu Shi (
陈刘氏), wife of restaurateur Chen Chunfu, at her shop
陈兴盛饭铺 in north Chengdu. Her face was pockmarked (
麻 "pockmarked" +
婆 "old woman"), so customers nicknamed the dish "Pockmarked Granny's Tofu". The original is now sold by the Chen Mapo Tofu chain (
陈麻婆豆腐).
