Like water for chocolate : a novel in monthly installments, with recipes, romances, and home remedies

Summary: The narrator's great-aunt Tita is the youngest of three daughters born to Mama Elena, the tyrannical owner of the De la Garza ranch. While still in her mother's womb, she wept so violently - as her mother chopped onions-that she caused Mama Elena to begin early labour, and Tia slipped out in the middle of the kitchen table, amid the spices and fixings for noodle soup. This early encounter with food soon became a way of life, and Tita grew up to be a master chef. Each chapter of the novel begins with one of Tita' recipes and her careful instructions for preparation. In well-born Mexican families, tradition dictates that the youngest daughter not marry, but remain at home to care for her mother. Even though Tita has fallen in love, Mama Elena chooses not to make an exception, and instead arranges for Tita's older sister to marry Tita's young man. In order to punish for her willfulness, Mama Elena forces her to bake the wedding cake. The bitter tears Tita weeps while stirring the batter provoke a remarkable response among the guests who eat the cake. It is then that it first becomes apparent that her culinary talents are unique. - book jacket