The snoobery is prevalent among many hobbies: Fishing rods. Wine. Coffee. Automobiles. Cameras. You name it.
It may be related to the placebo effect. If one truly, truly believes that an ultra-expensive fishing rod will catch more fish, then your perception will become the reality.
Probably exists to a degree even in electronics, more digits, more channels, more memory, more MHz, etc.
Definitely exists in electronics, fortunately we can justify and make the case for precision, plus it's good to 'know' what you're measuring is measured accurately, it's not a subjective thing.
With food, as with audio, 'better' is subjective and brand snobbery is a very real marketing tool, things must be better because they look nicer/cost more, have more 'back story' etc.
If I had more free time I'd research the roots of some of the audiophool myths, I have a feeling there may well be a grain of something in some of them that's been exaggerated beyond the point of ridicule or just a complete misapplication of valid science.
I haven't got references any more but some of the audiophool myths were actually practical jokes that got out of hand (I'm thinking of a wonder patch sold back in the early 90s that was to be placed under one of the feet of a turntable, ISTR it was a square of refuse bag)