Keep in mind that this novel has been translated from Spanish to English. It is a novel about traditions, romance and magical realism.
The title comes from an old Latin-American saying, como agua para chocolate, which is like water for chocolate or water that is at a boiling and it can be interpreted as a person who is about to burst in an emotional (or possibly passionate) manner. The novel in many ways is portraying the "boiling points" of human passion.
The novel is written in the form of a journal. And the point of view shifts from Tita's first person narrative to her great-niece's third person point of view towards the end of the novel. Since most of the novel is told from a personal journal the tone of the narrative is sensitive, sincere, and reflective.
The recipes serves as transitional tools to get from one chapter to the next. Magical realism is a plays a very important part of this novel; there is a lot of fantastical events occurring within the mundane--like when Tita cooks with the rose petals, the internal lust is not only an example of hyperbole but also of magical realism. The characters are well developed personas and the author uses wonderful imagery as description.
Some critics say that the novel's weakness is the overwhelming romantic female tone, but this is just a reader's personal preference.
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