Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, is renowned for its tea gardens and good food. And no local specialty is more treasured than Mapo Tofu, a medley of silky bean curd, chopped meat and leeks cooked in liberal amounts of oil, black beans, chili bean paste, soy sauce and dried chilies. A final dusting of ground Sichuan pepper tingles the lips and tongue. Fans head to the Sichuan restaurant where it originated. As the story goes, in the late 19th century, a woman named Chen ran a food shop called Wanfu Qiao (Wanfu Bridge) outside the city wall’s north gate, along a route traveled by laborers selling rapeseed oil. The Sichuanese delicacy was born when a porter gave Chen Mapo some oil and asked her to make them something with bean curd. Owners of Chen Mapo Dofu maintain their shops are directly descended from the original.