69 pages 2 hours read

Laura Esquivel

Like Water for Chocolate

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1989

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Chapters 10-12Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 10 Summary: “October: Cream Fritters”

Content Warning: The Chapter 10 Summary mentions sexual assault.

Gertrudis craves cream fritters, a favorite recipe from childhood. Tita helps Gertrudis prepare the fritters, while the latter shares her adventures away from home. She longs to tell her sister about Pedro and her possible pregnancy, but she has been busy feeding her troops. Gertrudis senses Tita’s anguish and presses her to reveal her burden. She is concerned Tita has no plan to marry Pedro despite loving him. She thinks the younger should follow her heart no matter what anyone else thinks. Pedro enters the room, and Gertrudis forces Tita to reveal her pregnancy. He is shocked and drops his bag of beans. Gertrudis sends the couple outside to talk while she prepares syrup for the fritters. Pedro is happy about the pregnancy and wants to run away with Tita. She reminds him of Rosaura and Esperanza. They agree to talk more later, but Pedro is relieved to know Tita will not marry John. Gertrudis struggles with the delicate syrup recipe, but a pregnant Chencha refuses to help as feeding the troops overwhelms her. She calls on a trusted soldier named Treviño (no stated relation to Mama Elena’s forbidden love, Jose Treviño), who earned her trust by helping her find a traitor some time ago.