Mapo doufu, Mapo tofu (Chinese: 麻婆豆腐; pinyin: Mápó dòufu) is a popular Chinese dish from the Szechuan (Sichuan) province. It is a combination of tofu (bean curd) and minced meat, usually beef, in a spicy bean-based sauce. Variations using pork or with other ingredients such as water chestnuts, onions or wood ear fungus are not considered authentic recreations of the Sichuan classic. The name means "Pocked-Face Lady's Tofu," and is said to come from a (possibly fictional) food vendor by the name of Ma, who made and sold the dish. Another possible explanation stems from an alternate definition of 麻, meaning "numb": the Szechuan peppercorns used in the dish can slightly numb the diner's mouth.True Mapo doufu is powerfully spicy with both conventional "heat" spiciness and the characteristic "mala" (numbing spiciness) flavor of Sichuan (Szechuan) cuisine. The authentic form of the dish is increasingly easier to find outside China today, but usually in Szechuanese restaurants that do not adapt the dish for non-Sichuanese (non-Szechuanese) tastes.Often the dish is adulterated, with its spiciness severely toned down to widen its appeal. This happens even in Chinese restaurants, commonly those not specialising in Sichuan (Szechuan) cuisine. In American Chinese cuisine the dish is often made without meat to appeal to vegetarians, and with very little spice.