Mapo Tofu was founded in the first year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1862). There is a store originally named "Chen Xingsheng Rice Shop" next to Wanfu Bridge in Chengdu. The owner Chen Chunfu (Chen Senfu) died early, and the small restaurant was run by the proprietress. The female proprietress had a slightly numb face and was known as "Chen Mapo". At that time, the Wanfu Bridge was a bridge across the Fu River, and coolies often rested and pointed here. The main people who patronize the restaurant are porters. Mrs. Chen has a unique set of cooking skills for cooking tofu. The tofu she cooks has a unique color, aroma and flavor, and is deeply loved by people. The roasted tofu she created is called "Chen Mapo Tofu". The store was later named "Chen Mapo Tofu Store".
Books such as "Jincheng Zhuzhi Ci" and "Old Records of Furong Hua" all record the history of Chen Mapo's creation of Mapo Tofu. "Jincheng Bamboo Branch Ci" says: "The Mapo Chen family is still famous. The baked tofu tastes the best. The curtains on the Wanfu Bridge move, and the Mr. Drunk in the spring of Hegu." "Chengdu General View" records that Chen Mapo Tofu was listed as a famous food in Chengdu in the late Qing Dynasty.
Chen Mapo: Mapo’s maiden name is Wen. She is the seventh girl who is the shopkeeper of Wanfeng Sauce Garden in Beimen Fire Temple. Her nickname is Qiaoqiao. Qiaoqiao has a pair of watery eyes and a slim figure. , but God was biased and sprinkled some white pockmarks on her pink face, but she was so delicate and pretty.
At the age of seventeen, she married Chen Zhihao, the fourth shop owner of Shun Kee Timber Company. After the wedding, the couple was very affectionate. Because of this, the elder sister-in-law and the second sister-in-law were jealous and spread rumors intentionally or unintentionally. Her mother-in-law, who used to be quite fond of her, gradually turned from being cold to scolding her.
After receiving a small amount of cash and three street houses, the couple left the Chen family's hometown.
One of the three street houses is occupied by oneself, and the other two are still leased to a mutton shop and a tofu shop. The fourth shopkeeper went to Majiamian, twenty miles away, to work as a manager for a house.
In the spring of the next year, her sister-in-law Shuhua left her parents in anger because of a quarrel with her second sister-in-law, and took refuge with her fourth sister-in-law. The area around Majia Nian is full of oil mills. Most of the people in the triangle area near Chengdu are engaged in the cultivation and extraction of rapeseed, called rapeseed. Most of these rapeseeds are concentrated in Majia for crushing oil. The fourth shopkeeper is kind by nature and treats people cordially and sincerely. After a year or two, he has been promoted from a manager who weighs oil and hair oil to a purchasing, sales and cashier. As long as it was something he handled, he would be extremely considerate and kind to the poor porters, and would never let the hard work of the coolies go in vain.
The place where her family lives is the only way for the Ma family to enter the city. Most of the porters regard this place as a relay station. In order to appreciate the kindness of the fourth shopkeeper, they often give small things of their own in return. Although they repeatedly declined, poor people value courtesy and benevolence, so after accepting the gift, Qiaoqiao always bought some mutton from the store on the left, and some tofu from the store on the right to cook on a plate, and then paired it with two side dishes as gifts.
She had just spent ten years in such a happy life, but an unfortunate fate befell her. On July 15, the 27th year of Guangxu's reign, the fourth shopkeeper's boat capsized at Majiadu in Jintang. From then on, she lost her beloved husband and her dream of life was shattered.
Shuhua saw that she was lonely and had been dependent on each other for ten years. Although she was nineteen years old, she was reluctant to leave her fourth sister-in-law who was in trouble and loved her very much and got married. The aunt and sister-in-law opened their doors and worked hard to make a living. Fortunately, people still come and go at this relay station every day. The "rapeseed" people who grow and extract oil, and the "porters" who work hard to carry out oil burdens. Whether they are familiar with each other in the past or have just met them, they are all grateful for the kindness of the four shopkeepers in the past. Watching them open the shop, I still come here to rest every day. Some brought some rice, some brought some vegetables, and those who were empty-handed went to the two shops next door to buy some mutton and tofu, wash them, and wait for Qiaoqiao to cook them in the pot, then they would have a full meal. Everyone deliberately saved one bite, which was enough for my sister-in-law to have more than enough for breakfast and dinner.
During this period, Qiaoqiao developed a special skill of cooking tofu. The reputation of Qiaoqiao's saozi (mutton) tofu spread throughout more than ten counties in western Sichuan.
At that time, it was the 30th year of Guangxu's reign, and the social atmosphere was conservative. Women who appeared in public could not help but be criticized by others. Relatives and friends of the Wen and Chen families thought it was a great shame and humiliation, so they came to the door one after another and tried to dissuade them. However, they were determined and kept the shop open every day, and the tofu was still cooked every day. Later, she simply declared to the two families that as long as she took out 5,000 taels of silver to "earn interest", she would close the shop. When it came to asking for money, the brothers and sisters had no choice but to keep silent.
From then on, my sister-in-law cheered up and focused on doing business. My sister-in-law chopped meat and cooked vegetables, and my sister-in-law wiped the table and washed the dishes.
In this way, year after year, the store expanded and the business prospered, but their youth slowly passed away in the rapid movement of "a pair of small golden lotuses". In order to avoid gossip, "no five-foot-tall kid answered the door" in the store. Tofu and mutton are required to be purchased by the guests themselves. The aunt and sister-in-law do not dispute the amount of money paid by the guests for fire and meals. Due to overwork, Shuhua fell ill first in the 23rd year of the Republic of China (1934), and she had no choice but to find a distant grandson to come and help. As a result, within a year, my aunt and sister-in-law died one after another.
In her lifetime, some people called her Miss Qiao and Fourth Young Lady; others called her Sister-in-law Chen and the shopkeeper’s wife. Mapo is the brand name she earned after her death: Ma is the memory of others for her beauty and charm; Po is the honorific title that others refer to for her noble character.