HBO’s Like Water for Chocolate is back to bring Laura Esquivel’s beloved novel to life on the 2026 TV schedule with the second and final season. When CinemaBlend spoke to one of the series’ stars, she told us about her favorite scene from the book that ended up getting adapted differently for the series set in Mexico during the country’s revolution.
During our chat with Irene Azuela, who plays the cold Mama Elena in Like Water for Chocolate, she brought up one gross scene from the Mexican classic. In her words:
There was a moment in the novel where, I think it's Rosaura and Pedro’s wedding. When they eat the [cake], they all get really sick and they start vomiting. And, I always thought that was really, really funny. But for some reason, I think it was HBO or Warner Bros – they didn't wanna portray that, so they changed it to a crying scene. But that was really fun to read.
Azuela is talking about a scene from Chapter 2 (and episode two of Season 1) where Tita is tasked with making her sister’s wedding cake even though she is heartbroken. Rosaura is marrying Pedro, whom she’s been in love with and wanted to marry, but Mama Elena forced her to remain home and take care of the house, while her sister was given the opportunity to marry Pedro instead.
Through the story’s magical realism elements, Tita’s cooking and baking often affect those who eat it with the emotions she is feeling when she prepares the dish. And in the case of the wedding cake, in the book, Tita cries into the cake batter and becomes too ill to go to the wedding. When the guests eat her cake, they begin to get violently sick and vomit all over each other. Per Azuela, the vomiting detail from the novel was softened in the Salma Hayek-produced series to make all the guests cry instead.
As it goes for many book-to-screen adaptations, there’s always some interesting changes to talk about, and this is a fun behind-the-scenes detail the Mexican actress shared in our interview. While there’s bound to be changes anytime a novel is adapted in a new medium, the series has certainly replicated a ton of other memorable moments – like that running naked moment from Season 1.
After last season tackled the first half of the novel, and had us making Bridgerton comparisons, Season 2 premiered this past Sunday to continue Tita’s tragic story. Where we left off last time, her newborn niece died after she was separated from her. Mama Elena sent her to an asylum, and she believes her beloved Pedro to be dead, even though he somehow survived an execution in the Season 1 finale.
We’ll find out what happens next when new episodes arrive on HBO on Sundays.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
