Japanese word for tangy

Question

What's the Japanese word for "tangy"? It's a bit hard to define the word, but it's something that has a sharp flavour, and it's not necessarily a pejorative (saying that something's bad). For example, I might say that airag, or maybe some slightly fermented yoghurt is tangy.

Neither jisho.org nor wiktionary has a translation.

I came across

ぴりっとする、強いにおいのある

on weblio, but the second part seems to be a definition, not a translation, saying strong smell, and the first part "ぴりっと" doesn't seem to be an exact match.

Answer 1

I think ピリッとする is pretty good as a translation.

• 酸っぱい
  Is often translated as "sour", but is often used by native speakers for tangy/zingy taste, like sweet apple juice that has a certain zing to it. (Of course, sweet and sour aren't mutually exclusive, so I think the Japanese rightfully identify a certain acidity. Nevertheless, in this situation 酸っぱい shouldn't necessarily be translated to "sour" and conversely 酸っぱい might be used as "tangy" in certain situations.)

• ピリッとする
  This often describes a certain tingly sensation in the tongue, like from spicy food or fermented food (carbonic acid).

• ツンとする
  Similar to ピリッとする, but more like the spiciness of mustard or wasabi that is felt in the nose.

For the "strong smell" sense of "tangy" there is also

• 香りが強い Meaning "strong smell". May be used for foods/drinks that are especially aromatic. Although it might look clumsy ("like a definition"), it's in fact frequently used.

Answer 2

if you want to say that is tastes good but is tangy or sour go with 渋い (shibui). This word has a meaning similar to tart or zesty. It is listed in jisho.org. タルトor タート can also be used to convey the same meaning.