From The Encyclopedia Britannica:
"Food left on plates after eating is
defined as garbage (jutha) because it
has been polluted by the eater’s
saliva. It may be handled in the
family.
Is there an English word for something that is not eatable or usable by others because it has someone's saliva on it?
Best Answer
I do not believe there is a single word that exactly means the same as jutha, as that concept is particular to Hinduism. We would use the word as a loanword if necessary to be specific.
However, there are several general terms for left over food from plates, as opposed to leftover food which was never served (that being called leftovers).
As an aside, whilst this concept persists as a religious observance, there is the opposite end of the scale that should be more widely known, see the Filipino slum food pagpag.