The novel follows the story of a young woman named Tita, who longs for her beloved, Pedro, but can never have him because of her mother's upholding of the family tradition: the youngest daughter cannot marry, but instead must take care of her mother until she dies. Tita is only able to express herself when she cooks.

Historical Context of Like Water for Chocolate Most of the novel is set during the Mexican Revolution, a revolution against established rule which went on from about 1910-1920 and also took on aspects of a civil war. At the beginning of the novel, the war has a minimal impact on the character's lives.

The idea for Like Water for Chocolate, a best-selling novel in Mexico in 1990, came to Esquivel while she was cooking the recipes of her mother and grandmother. “The smells took me back to their cooking and the wonderful chats we had,” she says, partly in Spanish and partly in English.

Narrator. Esperanza's daughter and Tita's grandniece. The narrator explains that her mother found Tita's cookbook in the ruins of the De la Garza ranch. Esperanza told her daughter the story of Tita's life as she prepared the cookbook's recipes.

chocolate, food product made from cocoa beans, consumed as candy and used to make beverages and to flavour or coat various confections and bakery products. Rich in carbohydrates, it has several health benefits and is an excellent source of quick energy.

Chapter 1 Summary: “January: Christmas Rolls” Josefita “Tita” De la Garza was born prematurely on the kitchen table of her family ranch, as her mother Mama Elena sobbed over onions. Tita is born crying from the onions, the floor soaked with tears from mother and baby.

In Like Water for Chocolate, there is no such thing as a “good” or a “bad” woman. Women are capable of an array of complex and often contradictory emotions and characteristics. While the novel overall favors revolution over tradition, it takes a nuanced view of traditional female ideals.

In the novel, food helps people to forge and maintain all forms of relationships. Most notably, Tita sees Nacha as her “real mother.” Tita feels and accepts Nacha's love through the sustenance she provides in her meals, and they build their relationship around their shared love of the kitchen.

Similarly, Esquivel also presents the theme of feminism in her book, Like Water for Chocolate. However, Tita grows from a submissive character to a strong and independent protagonist in a positive way.

Her novels often treat the topic of destiny, showing characters' ability and inability to control their fate. More recently, Esquivel has entered politics, winning a seat in Mexico City's Local Council.

Chapter 1 Summary: “January: Christmas Rolls” Josefita “Tita” De la Garza was born prematurely on the kitchen table of her family ranch, as her mother Mama Elena sobbed over onions. Tita is born crying from the onions, the floor soaked with tears from mother and baby.

Originally consumed as a bitter drink, it was prized as both an aphrodisiac and an energy booster. Mankind's love affair with chocolate stretches back more than five millennia.

Archeologists found that the Maya Empire was the first to ferment, dry, roast, and grind cocoa beans into a paste, and then this paste or chocolate liquor was mixed with a combination of water, cornmeal, chili, and other spices like vanilla, cinnamon, and even magnolia to make a frothy chocolate beverage in 450 BCE.

In Like Water for Chocolate, there is no such thing as a “good” or a “bad” woman. Women are capable of an array of complex and often contradictory emotions and characteristics. While the novel overall favors revolution over tradition, it takes a nuanced view of traditional female ideals.

TitaMamá ElenaGertrudisRosauraPedro Muzquiz Like Water for Chocolate/Characters

Water, sea and ocean (as well as nature in general) has been often used as a metaphor of femininity, as a symbol pointing to elemental, unrestrained womanhood, an emblematic "other," mysterious, horrible and irrational, against which the male subject constructs itself as the guardian of rationality, the Lord and Master ...