As an Italian, I agree with your wife: my countrymen can be downright racist when it comes to food. Often they struggle to accept even other Italian food that is not from their own city. Then again, that's how Italian cuisine managed to survive the industrial revolution whereas others didn't make it.
In my case it is my significant other which had trouble adapting to Italian food. I took over the kitchen anyway :-), and I'm learning how to cook Turkish food, which is as wonderful as the Italian food.
Ahha! I do not know why, but in every international couple I have met (including mine) the Italian part always ends up taking over the kitchen.
My non-Italian wife says it is a matter of low adaptability to different cooking styles on our part.
Maybe it's true. But she seems to be happy to accept it :-)