Rombauer, Irma Starkloff

Rombauer, Irma Starkloff (1877–1962), and her daughter, Marion Rombauer Becker (1903–1976), were authors of the Joy of Cooking, one of the most important twentieth-century American cookbooks. First published by Rombauer at her own expense in 1931, it grew to become both a beloved national institution and (under Becker) a prodigious one-of-a-kind kitchen encyclopedia.

From the outset, the St. Louis–born mother and daughter’s Midwestern German roots strongly influenced the selection of material, particularly regarding sweets. Both women loved a wide range of American cakes, pies, confections, and other desserts, from brownies to persimmon pudding. But they remained especially devoted to the pastry and dessert traditions of the German-speaking community in which they had grown up. Through Joy they introduced many American cooks to—among other things—German Christmas cookies (Lebkuchen, Springerle, “Cinnamon Stars”), Linzer Torte, almond torte, hand-stretched strudel, and sweetened yeast-raised cakes like Kugelhupf and Dresdner stollen.