[1] It is made from anchovy puree flavoured with cloves, thyme, bay leaf and black pepper mixed with olive oil.

It is a sauce obtained by macerating the heads and intestines of mackerel, sardines, anchovies, and aromatic plants in salt.

The manufacture of pissalat was a centuries-old local industry in the Nice-Côte d'Azur region,[3] where the salting of sardines and anchovies employed roughly a dozen families at the beginning of the 19th century.

These ingredients are pounded in a mortar, then macerated and fermented for several months in a large Provençal terracotta terrine with a brine of salt, pepper, olive oil, spices and herbs, thyme, bay leaf, cinnamon, and ground cloves (for preservation by salting).

It can be eaten on slices of bread and accompany soups, vegetables, salads, meats, or other dishes of Provençal cuisine.