That CNN article is strange. "Tofu made by a Pock-Marked Woman" or "Pock-marked Granny's Tofu" are the literal translations of Mapo Doufu. They haven't changed the name of the dish at all except to replace the Chinese word for tofu with the English word for it.

Also, the character that means "pocked" is frequently in the names of Chinese dishes that feature "hua jiao" or Sichuan numbing spice, who's peppercorns are small, round and of a reddish hue.

Many of the "odd" translations of Chinese dishes also come from use of translating machines that can lead to odd or stilted translations. "Yu xiang rou si" (shredded pork with fish seasonings) can be translated any number of ways, all of which sound bizarre in English: I saw fish-smelling meat silk on one obviously machine translated menu.

On that Jam Roly-Poly... there's a similar confection made in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico called the "Brazo Gitano" or "Gypsy's arm."

Just a thought...